Kindred
by khay
Summary: Loner Tokiya Mikagami bit off more than he can chew when he agreed to drive Ganko, Kaoru, and Fuuko to the wacky Kirisawa Family Reunion.
1. We're Out to See the Wizard

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.

Continuity: After the _manga_, Kurei and Kaoru returned to the present without changing the past with the realization that everything happened for a reason. Kurei returned to the Uruhas. Kaoru split his time between Kurei and the Hanabishis.

Summary: Lone Wolf Mikagami bit off more than he can chew when he agreed to drive Ganko, Kaoru, and Fuuko to the wacky Kirisawa Family Reunion.

**x o x o x o**

**K I N D R E D**

Chapter 1: _We're Out to See the Wizard_

**x o x o x o**

A solitary tear fell from one expressive blue eye, traveling down a creamy cheek.

Tokiya Mikagami looked away. He hated it when she cries, hated it that she was crying because of him.

"Please?" She begged as she valiantly fought to keep the tears at bay.

Tokiya Mikagami found himself fighting the full assault of her pleading eyes. With her tear-streaked doll-like face framed by golden tresses, Mikagami's resolve crumbled, unable to deny her anything that she desired. Upon accepting his own capitulation, he realized that the outcome of the battle was already decided the moment she had stepped in his door, looking at him with such love and hero-worship. He was just fighting the inevitable.

"What do I have to do to make you change your mind?" She hastily wiped the tears that were now freely falling.

"Don't cry," the statement that was meant to comfort came out as a cold command typical of the Hokage Iceman.

She sniffled as she tried to contain her tears. "Sorry. I said I won't be a crybaby anymore, but I really—" She choked to a stop when tears once again threatened to fall.

"Don't cry," he repeated, his words as cold as before. "I'll do it. I'll go with you,"

The girl gasped. "Really?" Without inhibitions, she threw herself at Mikagami, hugging him as tight as she could. "Thank you," she cried out. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Mikagami resisted the urge to disentangle himself from the girl. It had been so long since he was held like that … He shook his head. "Alright." He said. "You can let go now," he looked down at the pretty little angel who was hugging his legs.

"Oh. Right. Sorry, Tokiya-niisan," she smiled at him. Then, she unwrapped herself from him. "You won't be sorry, I promise."

_Right_. Mikagami bit back a grimace. He had just been roped into playing chauffeur so that Ganko and adopted sister Fuuko Kirisawa can go to the Kirisawa Family Reunion.

"The trip is on the day after tomorrow," Ganko explained, excitement dawning in her pretty eyes. "There's going to be a beach where we can swim and stuff, so don't forget to bring sunscreen."

Mikagami glared at her. Ganko's swift change of moods made him suspect that the little _innocent _girl had just pulled a fast one on him, tricking him into doing what she wanted.

The glare, however, was wasted on Ganko who paid him no heed. She was already used to his death-glare, and Fuuko-neechan had once said that his bark is worse that his bite, whatever that means.

Ganko continued her litany regarding what to expect and what to bring, but Mikagami tuned her out.

What on earth did he get himself into?

**x o x o x o**

Fuuko pored over her notes filled with her furious scribbles. She, Ganko and Kaoru are going into the reunion even if it kills her. The younger girl had been through enough disappointments to last her a lifetime. And Kaoru had never been to the beach before and was looking forward to going.

That Fuuko was harassed was an understatement. The five-day Kirisawa family reunion starts on the day after tomorrow, but still she and Ganko had no way of getting there. Her mom had said in no uncertain terms that the almost one-day travel with only Fuuko chaperoning Ganko and Kaoru was not an option. Hence, she was trying to find some_responsible adult_ to go with them.

Fuuko's mom cannot because she has a scheduled trial in a couple of days. Her brother still had one more exam to take and planned on going straight to the reunion from his college dorm. The other members of the Kirisawa clan either lived too far away or too out of the way from the venue, so picking them up would be out of the question.

_Oh, mom, if you only saw me last year taking on men bigger than I am, you wouldn't be worrying about me and the kids riding the express alone._ Of course, if her mom had saw her fights, she had no doubt that Mori Kouran would not have a prayer of surviving the wrath of an indignant mother. Fuuko could swear that that woman, seemingly frail, was more dangerous than Recca and all of his flame dragons combined.

And Mrs. Kirisawa said that Kaoru, for all his maturity, is still too young to be their sole male companion. Recca and Domon would do just fine. Unfortunately, Recca doesn't want to leave Yanagi, who couldn't afford to leave her kindergarten charges for a week. Domon promised his own mother that he would help her this summer vacation in their flower business. Fuuko knew better than to ask Mikagami. The two of them would only be at each other's throats, and that he would inevitable offend her relatives. Not that Mikagami would give her the time of day.

_If you only knew how good Kaoru is. With his quick wit and reflexes, you wouldn't have to send Recca and Domon with us. _Of course, her mom would _never_ know.

"I'm home!" A high-pitched soprano announced. The announcement was followed by muffled sounds of Ganko removing her shoes and throwing her stuff on the sofa on her way to find her neechan.

"Fuuko-nee, I have solved all of our problems!" She announced exuberantly. "Tokiya-niichan agreed to take us to the beach!"

"What?" Fuuko groaned. "Ganko, no—" she stopped mid-tirade when she saw none other than theformer_ensui_ wielder standing just behind Ganko. "Oh. Hi, Mi-chan. Whatcha doing here?"

Mikagami almost winced at the nickname the monkey insisted on giving him.

"He's here to make arrangements," Ganko told Fuuko delightedly. "He's volunteered to drive us to the beach in his red car."

Mikagami frowned. He did not, by any stretch of the imagination, volunteer. Ganko tricked him into it. Come to think of it, neither did he offer to bring his car, rather, Ganko assumed that the car and him came as a package deal.

Fuuko's protest died in her throat when she saw how happy Ganko was. "Thanks, Mi-chan." She gave him a weak grin.

_Argh.__Monkeys_.

**x o x o x o**

"You want me to do what?" Mikagami stared at the phone as if it was going to bite him. It was the night before they were to leave for the beach and he was about to have his dinner when the phone call interrupted him. And it was none other than that annoying monkey.

"Come on, Mi-chan, just humor my mom. She wants to meet the person who's going to drive us all the way to the beach. She doesn't know you like she knows Recca and Domon," Fuuko's voice pleaded.

"No, Kirisawa," Mikagami told her, annoyed that not only does he have to spend and entire day in a car with her tomorrow, he was now being pressured to have dinner with her family.

"Please, Mi-chan," she implored. "If my mom doesn't meet you, there's no way she's going to let us go,"

"No, you monkey. Get that through your thick skull."

Fuuko ignored the monkey comment. She cannot afford to tick him off, especially when he was their ticket to the beach. But it was now time to take out the big guns. "Come on, say yes, or do I have to sic Ganko on you?" She threatened.

_She knows._ Mikagami would've groaned if it was in his nature.

"Mi-chan, you still there?"

"Alright," came his forced reply. "But I'm only staying for dinner and that's it. No more favors."

"Great! Don't forget to bring my mother flowers. She's a sucker for those things,"

"Kirisawa—"

But Fuuko hung up before he could threaten her with disembowelment.

**x o x o x o**

"And thank you for Tokiya-niisan who had saved our vacation for us," Ganko prayed.

"Amen," the women in the table said in unison.

"Alright, let's eat!" Ganko announced as she took the bowl of food and started placing heaps of food on Mikagami's plate.

Mikagami was contemplating how to politely tell Ganko that the food was too much when the elder Kirisawa cleared her throat.

"Ganko, sweetie," Mrs. Kirisawa called out. "I don't think Mikagami-san can eat that much,"

Ganko stared at the plate. It was filled with food from the center to its edges.

"But, he's a boy," she argued. "And Recca-nissan said that a growing boy needs lots and lots of nourishment." She glanced at Kaoru's plate. It, too, was laden with food. So was Fuuko's plate. And he's bigger than Kaoru-niisan and Fuuko-neechan,"

Fuuko snorted and concealed a grin. She wasn't about to comment for fear of setting off Mikagami and having him take back his offer of a free ride.

Fortunately, Ganko evidently decided that her hero had enough to eat and turned to her own plate instead.

"Auntie Raye, thanks for the expansion pack you gave me," Kaoru said as he chewed his food. "It's so cool. I think I was the first kid in our class who had it. Recca-niisan and Domon-niisan were pretty envious, too."

"Eew, gross," Ganko wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Kaoru-niisan, don't talk when your mouth is full."

That made Kaoru grin and open his mouth wider to show Ganko the contents of his mouth.

"Mom, make him stop!"

Fuuko laughed as Ganko, who was sitting beside her, started throwing bits of rice at Kaoru.

"Kids, enough," Mrs. Kirisawa said. She then turned to Mikagami. "Mikagami-san, how long had you been driving?"

"For a year and a half, ma'am." He replied coolly. "I had my student permit when I turned seventeen, held on to it for a year, and got my license when I turned eighteen."

Mrs. Kirsisawa nodded in satisfaction. "So, you're graduating this next school year,"

"Yes, ma'am,"

"What course are you planning to take?" Mrs. Kirisawa asked.

"Well, I'm thinking of taking up law, but I'm still unsure on what the best pre-law course is."

"You plan to go to Tokyo University?"

"Yes, ma'am." Mikagami nodded.

Mrs. Kirisawa clapped her hands in delight. "I'm an alumnus there. I used to teach in the faculty of law before I became a partner in my firm,"

Mikagami was very much surprised. Fuuko's mom, a lawyer? However, he maintained his cool facade, at least physically.

"Well, political science is the usual pre-law course, but I took philosophy." Mrs. Kirisawa was saying.

Fuuko groaned. "Mom! Don't bore Mi-chan to death,"

"Hush, Fuuko. It's nice to see some of your friends already have ideas of what to make of their life after high school." She told her daughter. Then, she turned back to Mikagami. "Fuuko, Recca and Domon are like a boat, cast adrift aimlessly in the merciless sea." she told him dramatically.

"Mom! Stop embarrassing me," Fuuko protested.

"Honey, that's what moms do," Mrs. Kirisawa said in delight.

Mikagami observed mother and daughter. They were polar opposites physically. Unlike Fuuko, Mrs. Kirisawa had long, dark hair, a hair worthy of shampoo commercials, which were tamed and did exactly what it was told to do. She had warm brown eyes and a small mouth. A slender woman, she was an inch or two smaller than her daughter.

However, Mikagami soon learned that mother and daughter shared the same personality. Both were sunny and outgoing, they both chatter a mile a minute, and they both love to be with people.

"I remember when you were younger and you ate a live lizard because you saw the neighbor's cat do it,"

Mikagami concealed a grin. He expected this dinner to be quite a painful affair, with Kirisawa's mom asking him a lot of questions about his past and his family. However, after Fuuko's quick introduction, Mrs. Kirisawa was interested more in what he was planning to do with his life rather than what he has done with it so far.

"Mother!" Fuuko groaned, her face tinged red with embarrassment.

"Yuck, neechan!" Ganko shivered. "A living lizard?"

"How does it taste like?" Kaoru asked in fascination.

Mikagami almost laughed out loud at the expression on Fuuko's face. He was surprised to learn that he was actually enjoying himself.

"I told you to make my mother like you, Mi-chan," Fuuko told him later as she walked him to the door. Fuuko was surprised that Mikagami didn't leave immediately after dinner. And had it not been for the early trip the following morning, Mrs. Kirisawa would have insisted on Mikagami staying for a few more minutes while she regaled him with baby Fuuko stories. "Not make her fall in love with you."

"I like your mother, Kirisawa." Mikagami admitted. "She's alright."

"I know." She grinned at him. "I think she's your first fan girl who's over forty."

Mikagami glared at her.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

Mikagami nodded as he stepped outside. Kaoru was spending the night because of his tendency to oversleep.

"Thanks for coming," with that, she closed the door.

From the window, Mikagami could see the elder Kirisawa kissing her children, Kaoru included, good night.

Almost immediately, Mikagami missed the warmth of the Kirisawa home.

**x o x o x o**

_to be continued_

**x o x o x o**


	2. Manic Monday

Disclaimer: I don't own Flame of Recca or any of the characters used in this fic.

A/N:

A little note about continuity…

All I know about Flame of Recca is what I watched from the anime…fortunately, I was able to watch all the episodes, but the only thing I know about the manga is the ending. I loved the idea that in the end, after everything that they all went through, everyone had normal lives. The only thing I didn't like is the fact that Koganei and Kurei went back to the past to change it or something. If they do that, won't that change everything? 

Well, let's pretend that in this fic, Kurei and Koganei realized that changing the past would most definitely change the present, and would undo everything our heroes worked hard for, and that they are just chasing some pipe dream, so the two of them came back. Alright?

I strongly doubt if Recca and Yanagi would appear in my fic. Don't like Yanagi (never liked females who simply hang back, calling out their hero's names and being rescued, no offense. And she just seemed too perfect). I like Recca even less for choosing Yanagi over Fuuko. I mean, come on. Even my brothers liked Fuuko better (;p)

So what about Raiha, you ask. Well…what about him? =) I don't know just yet. I'll think of something eventually. 

Please review. And no flames about my opinion about Yanagi…It's just my opinion. 

Thanks to those who reviewed, I'm really flattered. Glad you liked the lizard part, it actually happened to my brother when we were little. Of course, my mom was panicking at that time, we only laughed at it years afterwards. ^^

**Kindred**

Chapter 2: Manic Monday 

Mikagami cursed his ethics that forced him to arrive at the Kirisawa residence at five am sharp, even knowing that Fuuko may still be asleep. If there was one thing that he learned about his purple-haired teammate, it was that she was not a morning person. It took the combined effort of Hanabishi and Yanagi-san to drag her to the dining halls so that she would not miss breakfast.

However, to his surprise, when he arrived at his destination Ganko and Kaoru were already on the steps, eagerly awaiting for his arrival.

"Tokiya-niisan!" Ganko squealed happily when she spied on him driving his car. 

Mikagami had decided to put the top of his convertible down, eager to feel the wind on his face. He parked the car right in front of the house so that his passengers could easily load their stuff.

"Kaoru-niisan, go tell mom that Tokiya-niisan is here!" Ganko said excitedly, standing up and waving furiously.

Mikagami descended the car gracefully. "These your bags?" He asked, indicating on the pink travel bag beside the child. At Ganko's nod, Mikagami placed it in the trunk of his car.

"Good morning, Mikagami-san," Fuuko's mom appeared in the doorway, supporting a semi-conscious Fuuko. "Domon!" She called out in the house.

"Ishijima is here?" Mikagami raised an eyebrow.

"Domon-niisan is the baggage man!" Ganko grinned.

"Yes, mom! Coming!" Domon appeared on the doorway. Or at least, his lower extremities appeared. His upper part was obscured by tons of baggage.

Mrs. Kirisawa arranged Fuuko carefully in the passenger seat before bonking Domon on the head. "Do not call me mom!" 

With a resounding howl pain, Domon dropped all the baggage on the ground.

Clasping his hands behind his head, Kaoru grinned, his fangs showing a bit. "Now we know where Fuuko-neechan got her punches."

Mikagami shook his head as he wordlessly picked up two of the baggage Domon dropped to load them in the car. 

Mrs. Kirisawa picked up a picnic basket. "I made some sandwiches and placed some snacks in here in case you get hungry." She said as she placed it behind the driver's seat. 

Domon picked up a cooler. 

"The cooler contains water, soda, and fruit juices." Mrs. Kirisawa continued.

Kaoru added his own bags to the trunk.

Mikagami had to arrange their stuff a bit so that it would all fit. 

"Fuuko, my love," Domon said dramatically to the sleeping Fuuko. "I'll be counting the days 'til we meet again." Then, a rare flash of inspiration struck him. "And I'll wake you up with a sweet kiss," he closed his eyes, puckered his lips, and inched his face towards Fuuko's.

"Don't even think about it!" Ganko cried as he gave Domon a left-across, sending him to the sky above, as she was not strong enough to send him to outer space yet, like her Fuuko-neechan does.

"Ganko, you've been hanging around Fuuko-neechan and Aunty too much!" Kaoru cried.

"Kaoru, don't tease Ganko too much during the ride," Mrs. Kirisawa glared strictly at him.

Kaoru grinned, glad that he was given room to maneuver. "Alright, I'll just tease her a little bit."

"That's my boy!" Mrs. Kirisawa beamed as she bent down to kiss Kaoru's cheek.

"Aw!" Kaoru protested as he hastily wiped his cheek, running to the car.

"Ganko, make sure Kaoru and Fuuko behave themselves." Mrs. Kirisawa smiled warmly at her youngest child.

"Hai!" Ganko turned her arms towards the elder Kirisawa. She was not disappointed as Mrs. Kirisawa hugged her and gave her a kiss. Satisfied, she ran over and climbed into the backseat beside Kaoru.

"Bye kids! Say hi to nana for me, Ganko," Mrs. Kirisawa patted his back. "Drive safely, Mikagami-san,"

"Yes, ma'am." With that, he turned away.

But Mrs. Kirisawa held his arm. "Take care of my children, Mikagami-san," she smiled as Mikagami turned to him. "And don't forget to enjoy yourself." With that, she gave him a quick hug.

Mikagami's reflexes seemed to have abandoned him for a moment as he stood frozen in the spot, but inside, he felt a warmth that he had not felt for so long…

Mrs. Kirisawa immediately released him. She dragged Domon (who had fallen down from the heavens already) a step backwards, to give the car room to maneuver.

Mikagami forced his feet to enter the driver's seat.

"Bye guys!" Mrs. Kirisawa waved cheerfully.

Domon was openly crying. "Fuuko! Return to me immediately, my love!" 

Fuuko woke up around six-thirty.

Mikagami wished that she had just stayed asleep.

"How about there?" Fuuko asked.

"No." Mikagami replied.

Fuuko stayed quiet for a few minutes. "How about there?"

"..."

"Why don't you have one of mom's sandwiches?" Ganko asked from the backseat, offering her elder sister one.

Fuuko made a face. "No thanks. I've been living on mom's sandwiches forever." She turned in her seat and fiddled with the car radio. "What are these songs, Mi-chan?" She made a face as she ejected the CD playing. "It sounds like the stuff my nana listens to. And can we stop there? I'm starving!"

"I'll have it, then." Kaoru paused the game he was playing on his gameboy then snatched the food in Ganko's hands.

Mikagami glared at her for a long moment before looking at the road again. "It's classical music, Kirisawa. And no, we won't stop. I want to make it to the beach before it gets dark. I don't want to drive to unfamiliar roads in the dark. And don't call me Mi-chan."

"Aw, Mi-chan, where's your sense of adventure?" Fuuko teased.

Mikagami didn't comment. 

"Mi-chan, how about there?"

"Tokiya-niisan, are we there yet?" Ganko whined for the umpteenth time. 

"No."

They had been driving for hours now, the midday sun was on full  blast, forcing them to put the top back and turn on the air conditioner. Fuuko, thankfully had fallen back asleep around ten minutes ago, so Mikagami was spared from her incessant chattering. Kaoru was on his second set of batteries. Unfortunately, Ganko's mellow glow had worn off, and had started to whine as only she can.

Ganko sat back in her seat, fidgeting a little. "How long 'til we get there?"

Mikagami sighed. "Not until this evening. Kirisawa's breakfast stop-over had caused us an hour and a half in our schedule."

"Here, Ganko, it's your turn to play now." Kaoru thrust the gameboy in her hands, wanting to avoid an outburst from the former ensui-wielder and an inevitable sniveling from Ganko.

Mikagami appreciated the gesture, he indeed was getting irritated. But not at Ganko. He was more annoyed at the purple-haired monkey softly snoring beside him.

_"Screw your schedule, Mi-chan," she grinned uncaringly. "We're on vacation, not in boot camp. And who cares if we don't get there before the sun gets down? I've been going there my whole life."_

So Mikagami had conceded to her desires, just to get her to stop pestering him for the rest of the ride.

But that wasn't the thing the thing that was bothering him.

He was bothered by the fact that he was playing chauffer to them.

He was bothered that Ganko had him wrapped around her tiny pinky.

He was bothered that his respect for Kaoru was growing by the minute.

He was bothered by Fuuko's smile and the fact that he was beginning to like it.

Most of all, he was bothered by Fuuko's legs…

Fuuko was wearing her signature green tank top, denim shorts, and sandals. The shorts were short, way too short. But then they were going to the beach, so maybe that was her excuse. And Fuuko was not exactly known for her modesty.

Almost subconsciously, Mikagami stole a glance at those legs again, before turning his attention back to the road. Long, shapely legs, with creamy skin, smooth complexion, unblemished…

"Tokiya-niisan, when are we stopping for lunch?" Kaoru leaned between the driver's seat and the passenger seat, interrupting his impure thoughts. "Aunty packed lunch for us so we can stop for a picnic somewhere." 

Mikagami cleared his throat, glad of the interruption. He, unlike some persons he could mention, was not a pervert. And he was not especially fond of monkeys as it is. "As soon as I find a good spot," he promised.

_Must be the hormones._ As much as he hated to admit it, he was a teenager, dammit. He was just as entitled to lapses of judgment that could be blamed to hormonal surges that plague a typical teenager. Right?

"You drive me crazy," Fuuko, Ganko, and Kaoru sang at the top of their voices. "I just can't wait,"

Mikagami gripped the steering wheel. 

Fuuko, to her immense delight, found an old album of Britney Spears in his CD collection in the car. He tried to explain that the CD was given to him by a fan girl. He meant to give it back, but had forgotten about it. 

The infuriating monkey had popped the CD in and turned the volume up. She then insisted to put the top down. 

The trio had then started singing along Britney Spears.  

"I'm so excited, I'm in so deep,"

Mikagami felt a headache coming.

"Come on, Mi-chan, sing along!" Fuuko turned towards him.

"No,"

"Aw, come on, Mi-chan." She begged. "If I had a yen for every no you say in this trip, I'll be rich by now."

"Look at me, I'm Britney Spears!" Ganko had peeled off her shirt and was only wearing her bikini top. She did a little dance before bursting into giggles.

"And I'm Tokiya!" Kaoru joked. He had swiped one of Ganko's elastic bands and had tied his hair back in a pony tail. "I secretly like Britney Spears, but am too manly to admit it."

Mikagami groaned. Was it only moments ago that he was admiring how mature Kaoru had become in the one year since he had known him?

But far from being irritated, Mikagami found himself amused, enjoying their antics, even.

He only wished that he could laugh as freely as Fuuko did.

"We're here! We're here!" Fuuko had jumped out of the car, not even bothering with the door. She ran ahead towards the dark beach, eager to feel the sand beneath her feet.

"Neechan, wait for me!" Ganko cried out, but she was held back, struggling a bit with her seat belt. Kaoru leaned over to help her.

It was now dark. Mikagami was exhausted as he had been driving the whole day, save from the occasional pit stops to stretch their legs and eat. However, exhaustion did not dull his senses. He knew something was wrong. 

"Kirisawa! No!" Mikagami screamed as he jumped down the car, running after her.

Hidden by the darkness, they didn't see five large, burly men. The men were now simultaneously running towards Fuuko.

Mikagami was too late.

The men had hurled themselves towards the slender girl, causing her to fall down beneath the large, manly bodies.

"Kirisawa!"

~**tbc**

*To Kaze Yurie, yeah, you can, if you still want to that is. =) Gosh, now I'm pressured to write better…


	3. Terrible Tuesday

Disclaimer: I don't own Flame of Recca or any of its characters. However, the lot of the Kirisawa family (save for Ganko and Fuuko) is of my creation. Any similarities with people, real or imaginary, are unintentional. 

A/N:

*kh@y-ling leaps up and down in excitement* thank you for the ultra nice reviews! I really appreciate it! It makes me soo happy! And a happy kh@y keeps the writers block away. 

A reviewer suggested that I break the story into smaller chapters so it wouldn't be boring, but I sorta plan to write a chapter for each day of their vacation…so consider this a warning…this is the longest chapter so far…

Oh, yeah, I'm not familiar with the Japanese language and names, so I took the names from previous animes that I watched. Don't even know what they mean, except for Eri which means queen. =)

*****Thanks are due to **Ranka** who is now the official beta-reader of this fic. ~thank you, Ranka!~

Kindred Chapter 3:  Terrible Tuesday 

Hidden by the darkness, they didn't see five large, burly men. The men were now simultaneously running towards Fuuko.

Mikagami was too late.

The men had hurled themselves towards the slender girl, causing her to fall down beneath the large, manly bodies.

"Kirisawa!" Mikagami's hands itched for the ensui. Nevertheless, he faced off with Kirisawa's attackers, resolved to put them out with his bare hands if necessary.

The men started laughing at their deed.

"How dare you!" Kaoru growled beside Mikagami. He too was disgusted that these men seemed to draw amusement from a lady's pain, never mind that Fuuko wasn't technically a "lady."

To the duo's surprise, the mound of men that was on top of Fuuko was suddenly tossed upwards. A very angry Fuuko was left at their wake. Veins were popping everywhere in her face. She was shaking a closed fist at them.

Mikagami was relieved. He should've known that Kirisawa could take care of herself. Mikagami frowned at the realization. Did he actually feel relief that Kirisawa was alright?

"You!" Fuuko grated out. "How dare you."

Kaoru hid a grin. These men would surely get what was coming to them.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Fuuko screamed at them. "I am too old for doggy-pile on the bandit and you're becoming too big for them!"

"Aw, Fuuko-neechan, we were just having a little fun," one of them protested.

The voice sounded to young to be a hardened criminal.

"You know them, Kirisawa?" Mikagami asked in irritation. And to think, for a moment there, she actually had him worried.

"You talking to me?" A chorus of young male voices asked.

"…"

Fuuko laughed out loud. "Maybe it's time you start calling me by my given name, Mi-chan. I forgot to tell you that everyone here is a Kirisawa."

One of Fuuko's attackers stepped forward. "Is he your boyfriend, neechan?"

Upon closer inspection, Mikagami realized that the group of men was actually a group of boys. They were probably Kaoru's age, if not older. However, almost all of them towered over Fuuko.

"He looks better than Recca-niisan."

"Well, I like Domon-niisan. He's fun."

"No, he is not my boyfriend. Neither are Recca and Domon." Fuuko replied irritably. "Now go back to the beach house and tell nana that me and Ganko had arrived. We'll just pick up our stuff."

The group of boys ran ahead, singing about their neechan's new boyfriend at the top of their lungs.

"Oi," Fuuko groaned. "I'll never hear the end of it,"

The four of them entered the brightly lit house. The moment Fuuko opened the door, a sea of people had rushed up to her and Ganko. There was a lot of squealing and kissing and hugging.

Mikagami was very uncomfortable by the time they were done.

"I never saw so much purple hair in my whole entire life," Mikagami heard Kaoru mumble.

Which was true. However the purple hair seem to be limited to the men…

"Oh, by the way, these are my friends, Kaoru and Mi-chan," Fuuko introduced.

"Hey, Kaoru," a chorus of voices replied. "Hey Mi-chan!"

Mikagami cringed. He wondered if he could get away with murdering Kiri—ahem!—Fuuko in front of her relatives. Mi-chan indeed.

He noticed that the half the people in the room were looking at him with a mischievously evil glint in their eyes. The other half was looking at him with suspicion and dislike.

"And guys, these are my relatives." Fuuko turned to Mikagami and Kaoru. "I could introduce them all to you, but you'll just forget their names anyway. Just call the old ones Kirisawa-san, the teenaged ones Kirisawa-kun or Kirisawa-niisan, and the young ones Kirisawa-chan. You can't go wrong with that."

"Fuu-chan, I resent the old comment!" A voice from the back piped out.

"Is he your boyfriend, Fuuko?"

"He is not," Fuuko vehemently denied.

"So, Fuu-chan, darling, when are you bringing home a nice man? I want a great-grandchild from my granddaughter, you know." An old, feminine voice called out.

"Nana!" Fuuko squealed as she ran towards the owner of the voice.

Fuuko's nana was a frail woman in her late seventies, and aging gracefully. She was smaller and thinner than her granddaughter. The two hugged.

"You keep bringing home men you deny to be your boyfriends," her nana continued as she broke from the hug. "At that rate, Ganko-chan would be giving me a great-grandchild before you do." 

"Oh, not you too, nana," Fuuko groaned.

"Ganko-chan, how about a hug for nana?" 

Obediently, Ganko stepped forward to give the old woman a hug and a kiss.

"Nana, these are my friends, Mi-chan and Kaoru-kun," Fuuko introduced. "Mi-chan, Kaoru, I'd like you to meet my grandmother, Eri Kirisawa."

Mi-chan and Kaoru bowed gracefully before the Kirisawa matriarch.  

"Kirisawa-san," Mikagami acknowledged.

"Now, now," Eri waved them off. "None of those formalities. The two of you can call me nana just like everyone else." She frowned. "You'll find that in this family, such formalities are more trouble than they're worth. There's so many of us here. Don't even know half of them anymore,"

"Nana, you're rambling," Fuuko teased her grandmother.

"Fuu-chan, dinner's ready in the kitchen. We just ate right before you arrived." A female called out.

"And you're just in time to wash the dishes," a male in his late twenties with purple hair added.

"I am not washing the dishes!"

"Oh, don't worry about those," a female in her mid-fifties with long brown hair and green eyes, waved Mikagami away from the sink. "I'll take care of the dishes."

"It's no problem, Kirisawa-san," Mikagami told her. "I'm used to cleaning up after myself."

"You brought home a gem, Fuu-chan," the woman winked at Fuuko, who was still eating at the dining table. 

Fuuko choked on the food she was swallowing. Ganko helpfully thumped her back. 

Mikagami was firmly led away from the sink. Unused to being waited on, he reluctantly stepped aside and crossed his arms, and contented himself in watching his three companions eat.

"By the way, Aunty Rika, how's the sleeping arrangement?" Fuuko asked as she brought the used dishes to the sink, wanting to change the subject.

"I hope you don't mind, Fuu-chan, but we gave your dad's old room to Jin and Mikage," the woman, Rika, replied. "You know how much trouble their twins can get into,"

Fuuko grinned. "No prob."

"You and Ganko would share a room with nana," Rika told her. "Reiko and Aya would also be with you. Oh, and Yuri brought his girlfriend." 

Fuuko choked on the water she was drinking. "Yuri's got a girlfriend?"

Rika grinned at her. "They set up two large tents on the beach for the boys. You don't mind sleeping in the tent, do you?" She asked Mikagami and Kaoru. "Good." She grinned at them. "Yuri!" She called out.

"Coming mom!" A voice replied.

A man in his early twenties with purple hair and green eyes walked in the kitchen with a blond woman in tow.

"This is my first-born, Yuri. Yuri, you've met Mikagami-san and Kaoru-san," Rika grinned. 

"And this is my girlfriend, Ruriko," 

After the usual pleasantries, Rika-san turned to his son. "Please show Kaoru-san and Mikagami-san where they would sleep tonight. Fuu-chan and I would take care of Ruriko-san."

Mikagami found himself sharing the tent with Yuri, Yuri's three younger brothers, and their cousin named Sano.

Kaoru was in the other tent with boys his age (or as Sano had put it, those who aren't old enough to drink).

"So, you're not really interested in our Fuu-chan, are you?" Yuri's youngest brother, Junko, asked.

The moment he stepped inside the tent, the second brother, Miko, brought out sake and started pouring it for everyone.

"Oi, don't mind Junko, he's just drunk." Sano grinned at Mikagami. "He's not used to drinking, you know."

Kuno, the third brother, saw that Mikagami's glass was almost empty, so he poured more in. "Just don't break her heart, you know, or you'll have us Kirisawa men after you," he finished his statement by punching his fist in the air.

Mikagami, having just turned eighteen, was unused to drinking sessions. However, he found himself actually enjoying this one. He found out that chattering his brains out is a Kirisawa trait, so he barely has to add anything to the drunken conversation. All he had to do was to drink and listen.

"I think I like you better than Domon," Yuri admitted. "Domon was knocked out after his first glass of sake."

"Niisan, Domon was just fifteen when you gave him a glass of sake," Miko frowned. Mikagami learned that of his five companions, Miko could hold his drink the best.

"Oh, right," Yuri laughed. "But he looked older than me at that time. I thought he was twenty five or something,"

So far, he had met one grandmother, three uncles, three aunts, fourteen cousins, three cousins-in-law, four nephews and a niece, and still, no Fuuko came down for breakfast.

He sighed. He was thankful for his photographic memory. He never met so much people in his whole life. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaoru playing beach volleyball with his tent-mates, the group of guys who had 'attacked' Fuuko last night. Ganko was making sand castles with the nephews and nieces, all of whom were around her age.

The funny thing about the Kirisawa clan, Fuuko was the only female in two generations. All of nana's five children were male. And with the exception of Fuuko, all of her grandchildren by consanguinity (by blood) are males. The only female blood relative (aside for Fuuko) is nine-year old Aya, the daughter of Jun, Eri's grandson from his first born, Saito (Saito and his wife were in a cruise in the Caribbean, so they were unable to attend the reunion).

"Mikagami-san," Miko approached him. "Care to join us in a family tradition?" 

Behind Miko, Yuri, Kuno, Junko, and Sano were grinning at him mischievously.

Mikagami raised an eyebrow. "But if it's a family tradition…"

"It'll be fun." Yuri assured him. 

"Let's go, or we'll be too late," Sano insisted.

Soon, Mikagami found himself in the room of the Kirisawa matriarch, where Fuuko was sleeping on an inflatable bed.

"Get her," Junko told Mikagami.

"…"

"Get her off the bed," Miko whispered, snickering.

Totally mystified, Mikagami scooped his former teammate in his arms. 

Yuri swept all the bedclothes to their nana's bed while the four carried the inflatable bed out of the room.

"This would be fun," Kuno assured him.

Splash!

"You guys are way too old for this," a wet Fuuko grumbled, which earned a few snickers from the crowd.

"We just thought we would teach you a lesson about getting up early." Sano told her, but he was unable to keep a straight face.

The five of them had placed the inflatable bed on the water. Mikagami then laid Fuuko on the bed. Sano pushed the bed into the sea. When Fuuko turned in her sleep, she fell into the water, to everyone's amusement.

However, Fuuko was not amused.

Seated on a lounge chair and sipping his soda a few feet away from the crowd, Mikagami was enjoying the verbal sparring between the cousins. A wet hand then tugged at his shirt.

He looked down and saw a pair of soulful plum eyes, not unlike Fuuko's, staring at him.

"Hi," the little girl said. She was about Ganko's age. "My name is Aya. Ganko said you're her Tokiya-niisan. Is Fuu-neechan your girlfriend?" She asked solemnly with a toss of her blue-black hair.

"She's not," Mikagami replied.

"Can I be your girlfriend, then?" Aya asked.

"Aya-chan!" Gasped a woman with the same shade of hair as Aya. "Sorry, Mikagami-san," 

"But mommy, I want him as a boyfriend," Aya told her mother. "He's cute,"

"You would have to fight your Fuuko-nee for him," Aya's mom, whom Mikagami remembered as Reiko-san, said.

"Reiko-san, I assure you, Fuuko and I are nothing more than friends," Mikagami told her hastily.

"Oh, dear," Reiko colored a bit. "I'm afraid that that's not what's going around, especially when we saw you carrying her this morning,"

Mikagami winced. So the prank this morning was for his sake as well as Fuuko's. He can't believe he fell for it…

"Wow," Kaoru's eyes almost bulged out of its sockets.

"Ken-ken, don't let Yuri ran past you!" 

"Hey, Miko, don't let Fuu-chan out of your sight!"

"Over here! I'm free!"

The Kirisawa teens were playing ultimate Frisbee. A crowd had begun to gather around the makeshift court, amazed by the speed and agility that they were displaying.

Mikgagami thought that they would put most of the UBS fighters to shame. Now he knows how Fuuko got to be so good in their fights. He had no doubt that given the proper training and a madogou, these people would give the Uruha a run for their money. 

Yuri shook Ken, Rika's husband, free. He took advantage and threw the Frisbee towards Fuuko.

Fuuko faked to the left, leaving Miko in her wake. She jumped up, caught the Frisbee, and rolled to her right.

"Fuuko sandwich!" Miko suddenly yelled.

Almost immediately, all of his teammates swarmed towards Fuuko and buried her underneath them.

"Foul!" Yuri shouted with a laugh. "This is Ultimate Frisbee, not football."

The crowd laughed and clapped appreciatively at their antics.

"Guys, get off Fuu-chan!" Reiko shouted.

Reiko's husband, Jin, was the first to get off the pile. He then began pulling out his relatives.

Miko was the last one out. He helped Fuuko to her feet.

"I need a break!" Fuuko announced. "My bones won't be able to withstand this torture. Mi-chan, sub for me." 

"…"

"Yeah, Mikagami-san," some of the guys encouraged him. 

Soon, Mikagami found himself being dragged to the middle of the court.

"Kaoru, get in the game," Jin called out. "I need a break, too."

By the time the game was over, tons of girls were now watching and applauding the dashing Mikagami. They cheered when he scored and screamed themselves hoarse whenever he touched the Frisbee.

"I like playing with you, Mikagami," Miko told him as they were taking their water break.

"Yeah, our game never attracted this many pretty girls," Yuri added.

"I heard that," Ruriko mock-glared at him before bursting into giggles. Ruriko and Yuri then walked away, holding hands.

"Don't you just envy them?" Miko dramatically placed his hand over his heart and fluttered his eyes.

"Hi," three women about their age approached them.

"My name is Chiharu," the one in a flashy red bikini said, giving Mikagami a flirtatious grin. "These are my friends, Mimi and Fiji,"

"Hi!" Miko intercepted the ladies. "I'm Miko. This is my cousin's boyfriend, Tokiya."

Mikagami choked on the water he was drinking.

"Oh," the ladies were obviously disappointed. 

"Nice meeting you then," Mimi said as the three began to walk away.

"Hey!" Miko called after them. "I'm still single and available! Ladies! Wait!"

"Here, have more noodles, Mikagami-san,"

"Try my special dessert, Kaoru!"

"You'll love these, Mi-chan,"

"Oh, the drinks are in the cooler, boys,"

"Have you eaten yet, Kaoru?"

Mikagami never had a more chaotic lunch in his entire life. People kept approaching him, getting more food for him, and asking him if he was liking the food. 

Beside him, Kaoru looked as if he was in heaven.

Mikagami realized that like him, the younger boy had never had a family this big. He never had the chance to spend time with kids his own age. Never had a mother-figure fawning over him and asking him if he liked his food or if he would like more dessert.

"Hey, Kaoru, maybe after lunch you can show me how to defeat the stage master in your new game!" Hiroshi called out.

"No, he's teaching me how to fix the rubix cube." Jou argued.

And Kaoru was basking in all of the attention showered upon him.

"Hey, I thought we were going swimming after lunch!" Ganko protested.

"But it's bad to go into the water right after swimming, right mom?"

Now Mikagami knew why Ganko was desperate to go here. After loosing her mother and spending her time with her dolls in the Kouran Mansion, this must be a breath of fresh air for her.

He then realized that the Kirisawas were taking him and Kaoru in like they did with Ganko, with arms wide open, no questions asked. 

Suddenly, he felt his appetite leave him. "Excuse me," he said as he hastily withdrew from the noisy kitchen.

"Hey, Mi-chan! Wait up!"

"Get lost, Kirisawa." Mikagami snapped at her.

Fuuko snorted as she made her way to the rocks Mikagami was perched on. "Why are you here, brooding alone?"

"None of your business."

"Actually, you are my business," Fuuko grimaced as she took a seat beside the silver-haired youth. "My nana saw you leave and told me, no, commanded me to bring you back immediately."

Mikagami ignored her as he stared into the sea.

"Oi, Mi-chan, what's your problem?"

You and your family, Mikagami wanted to say. He was beginning to get attached to them. But he knew that that would only give him pain. Come Saturday, they would all go home and they would forget about him. But he won't. No. That path would only lead to heartache. He mustn't get too close. He had to save his heart. No more pain…

"Mi-chan, you still there?" 

Mikagami felt the purple-haired monkey poking him.

He shrugged her off.

"Go away, you monkey,"

Fuuko winced. "If my cousins hear you call me monkey, I'll never hear the end of it,"

"…"

"What's your problem?" Fuuko snapped at him. "You were fine this afternoon and all. Did Miko say something to upset you?"

"I told you, Kirisawa, get lost."

"Ooh, lover's quarrel!" Thirteen-year old Jou squealed.

They didn't notice that the adolescent brats (the same group of boys who 'welcomed' Fuuko on the first night) had followed the Fuuko and were eavesdropping in their conversation.

"Nana, they're just having a lover's quarrel!" Jou's youngest brother, Ukiya, called out as he ran back to the beach house.

"LQ! LQ! LQ!" Hiroshi, Yuuto, Aoshi, Jou, and Junie started chanting as they ran after Ukiya.

"You brats!" Fuuko yelled after them.

"Ne, neechan, are you really having a lover's quarrel?" Kaoru asked genkily, with both his hands behind his head.

"Argh!" Fuuko lunged at him, only to be held back by Mikagami, their position in the rocks being unstable that one wrong move would send them tumbling below.

Kaoru laughed, stuck out his tongue, and ran after his comrades.

"See what you did?" Fuuko whirled around to face Mikagami.

Mikagami didn't say anything.

"Now we have to go back and explain to them that we aren't having a lover's quarrel." Fuuko was grumbling as she grabbed Mikagami's hand and dragged him back to the house. "I mean, we aren't lovers at all."

Of course, when they arrived in the beach house holding hands, it set off new teasing and jokes, much to Fuuko's dismay.

The chants of LQ! LQ! had changed into singing—

Fuuko and Tokiya 

_Sitting on a tree_

_K-I-S-S-I-N-G_

_First comes love_

Then comes marriage 

_Then comes Fuuko_

_With a baby carriage._

That went on until well into the night.

**~tbc**

P.S.

OK, I know, I know. Fuuko should be calling her elder cousins niisan and stuff, but I'm fearing for my sanity. The number of people in this fic is confusing enough ^^;;  Well…that's kinda my fault too. Ehehe.


	4. Wet and Wild Wednesday

Disclaimer: 

I don't own FoR or any of its characters. However, the lot of the Kirisawa family (save for Ganko and Fuuko) is of my creation. Any similarities with people, real or imaginary, are unintentional. The songs used herein are also not mine. I didn't profit from them. They're just used in the **spirit of fun**.

A/N:

Again, thanks are due to **Ranka** who's the beta-reader of this fic. =)

Umm, to those who commented that the number of OCs in this fic confuses them, don't worry! It's confusing me too! =) Well, I guess the only key persons here are **Shoji** (Fuuko's elder bro), **Miko **(Fuuko's cousin who I modeled after Johnny Bravo), **Yuri** (Miko's elder brother aka the responsible one), **Ruriko** (Yuri's girlfriend), **Nana/Eri** (the Kirisawa matriarch/Fuuko's grandmom), and **Raye** (Fuuko's mom). Just the read the rest in passing.

Anyway, to anime-luverjc, I'm looking for the angst-y bits myself. This was originally meant to be of the angst genre but it has a life of its own sigh So I'm changing its category. Hope it'll do in a romance-humor (I'm very hesitant to label it as a humor fic 'cause people might ask me where's the humor in this thing ^^;; eep!).

Thanks to the reviewers. I appreciate each and every one of it!

And to show you that I don't have a life whatsoever, receiving a review is actually the highlight of my day. Yey!

Don't forget to hit the review button once you're done! Thank you, come again!

Kindred 

**Chapter** **4:** **Wet** **and** **Wild** **Wednesday**

At five o'clock in the morning, Mikagami woke up to the rhythmic pounding of raindrops outside. The light drizzle the night before had turned into  hard rain. Good thing they slept inside instead of in their tents. It would have been quite an experience.

He stretched before getting up but his feet bumped into the sofa where Miko was sleeping. The sofa wobbled a bit, but Miko simply mumbled something about hot ladies in bikinis and turned in his sleep. 

The Kirisawa living room had turned into the men's evacuation center. It was fairly large but fitting six grown men in it were quite a challenge. On the other hand, it beats sleeping in the attic, where Kaoru and his new pals are.

Mikagami stood up and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. To his immense surprise, he heard soft female voices emanating from it. The Kirisawa women (with one apparent exception) were definitely early risers.

"Good morning, Mikagami-san," Sakura, a woman in her late thirties, greeted him. From what Mikagami can remember, she was the wife of Fuuko's dad's twin brother.

Mikagami murmured his good morning.

"We've been up since four," Hikari, the wife of Eri's youngest son, informed him. "We went to the market, the fresh fish are always best during that time," indicating the bags of fish and sea food on the counter.

Rika wrinkled her nose. "But the prices were already sky-high because of the rain," 

"But we got good fish," Hikari argued as she held out a knife.

"I told you to ask the vendor to clean the fish for us," Hakone, Ken's wife, said with a grimace, not liking the idea of touching the fish's guts. 

"I know, but I didn't like the way the man in the next stall was looking at us," Sakura replied.

"We're not as young as we used to be, but we can still attract young men." Hakone joked with a wink.

The women laughed at that.

"Now what would we do?" Rika sighed.

"Let me," Mikagami offered as he took the knife from Hikari. With the same precision and agility that he had with the ensui, Mikagami cut the fish efficiently and effortlessly.

"Wow," the ladies clapped.

Mikagami quickly disposed of the pile of fish in front of him.

"I told Fuuko that she brought home a gem," Rika laughed. 

"What else would you want me to do?" Mikagami asked. It was the least he could offer for all the hospitality they were showering upon him.

"Oh, I think we could manage by ourselves," Sakura replied. "Go find Fuu-chan, she's in here somewhere,"

"Yeah, patch up your misunderstanding last night," Hikari suggested.

At Mikagami's incredulous look, the women laughed.

Mikagami was shooed out of the kitchen.

"I still can't believe Fuu-chan woke up very early," Mikagami heard one of them comment.

"It always happens when it rains, specially if there's  thunder," came Rika's distinct voice.

He decided to go to the terrace, wanting some time alone with his thoughts before the rest of the house woke up.

To his amazement, he saw Fuuko already there, watching the dark sky. Once or twice, lightning would illuminate her form, followed by the rolling of thunder. But she was not alone. Aya, the nine-year old kid who wanted to be his girlfriend, was with her. She was watching the skies too, occasionally screaming whenever the thunder becomes too loud.

"Fuuko," Mikagami called out to her.

Fuuko screeched, jumped, and hugged the nearby column all at once.

Mikagami snorted.

Aya giggled mirthfully.

"Don't do that!" Fuuko told him, clutching her heart. 

"Sorry," he said, clearly not. "I must be interrupting you. I'll go ahead." He then turned around to leave.

"Mi-chan," Aya ran to him, hugging his legs pretty much like Ganko did days ago. "Stay with us,"

Mikagami winced at the nickname but couldn't very well walk away with a kid wrapped around his legs.

"I hate thunder," he heard Fuuko mutter.

Thunder…

Raiha…

Mikagami wanted to ask what had happened that made her hate thunder, but he figured it was none of his business.

"I don't like thunder either," Aya told him. The statement was punctuated by a clear clap of lightning and a loud roll of thunder. Aya screamed in fright and hugged Mikagami closer.

Acting on impulse, Mikagami stooped down and scooped the frightened child in his arms. __

_Mikagami, what on earth do you think you're doing?_ His common sense assaulted him seconds later, but he didn't have the heart to put down young Aya who had snuggled closer to his chest.

When Mikagami turned to Fuuko, he found her looking at him with the strangest expression on her face.

"Hey, Mi-chan," she said, as if looking at him for the first time, a secret smile playing on her lips.

Mikagami didn't say anything, he simply stared back at her. He was almost sorry when Fuuko turned around to watch the sky again.

He didn't know how long they stood there at the terrace, standing apart from each other, watching the sky, lost in their own thoughts. 

He was surprised when Fuuko placed a hand on his shoulder. "Better get Aya to bed," she told him.

Mikagami looked at his charge. She was like an angel in his arms, sleeping peacefully. He nodded as he followed Fuuko to their room.

"Why does it have to rain?" Kaoru grumbled after breakfast. Yuri had promised to take him wakeboarding that morning, only to be cancelled because of the rain. "Why? Why? Why?"

"I think it all starts when the sun shines over the sea," Miko began seriously. "The water then evaporates into vapors and goes into the clouds,"

A few people groaned and started throwing stuff at Miko. 

"Hey, hey! It was just a joke." He protested. "And don't mess with the hair!"

"Fuu-chan, isn't your brother coming today?" Eri asked.

Fuuko nodded as she glanced at her cards. "I think he'll be arriving tonight,"

"Oh, dear, if it continues to rain, where would he sleep?" Rika asked worriedly.

"It's my brother you're talking about," Fuuko told them as she took a card from Yuri. "He can sleep in the bathtub for all he cares."

"Point," Yuri grinned as he took a card from Jou. He then put down two cards.

"This is boring! I'm going to the attic to play video games!" Hiroshi announced suddenly. "Kaoru, you coming?"

Kaoru nodded. The two of them raced upstairs, followed by the rest of the boys. 

"Hey, wait for me!" Jou called out as he threw down his cards to go upstairs.

"Hey! What about our game?" Miko asked Jou.

The younger kid ignored him.

"Hmp. Kids these days," Miko rolled his eyes as he took all of the cards and began shuffling them expertly.

"Mi-chan, I have something for you," Aya had walked into the living room.

Fuuko, who like her cousins were sprawled of the floor, looked up. Mikagami was seated comfortably on the couch behind her, looking over her shoulders.

Mikagami simply raised an eyebrow. 

"Here," Aya handed him a card she had made. She and Ganko were in the kitchen, drawing pictures. "I put my name inside and the date today. You do the same," she told him as she gave him a red crayon.

The others watched in interest as Mikagami read the card with a big red heart drawn on it.

"I put my name here?" He asked.

Aya nodded solemnly.

Mikagami signed his name and the date on the card.

Aya beamed at him. "Now you kiss me and you're now my boyfriend,"

Fuuko and the boys howled with laughter.

Aya took offense. "What's so funny?" She demanded with a stamp of her foot.

"Hey guys, it looks like Aya-chan got more than the Kirisawa hair," Miko snickered.

Aya launched herself into her uncle. "What's," a small fist struck Miko's chest. "So," the other fist landed on Miko. "Funny?" 

That made Miko laugh even harder as he disentangled his spirited niece from him, shoving her towards Mikagami.

"Nothing, Aya-chan," Mikagami told her. With that, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

Aya smiled at him and stuck her tongue out at the rest of the people in the living room. "Thanks, Mi-chan," she said. "Now, I keep the card to prove that I'm your girlfriend," satisfied, Aya ran back to the kitchen to be with Ganko, the kids, and the moms.

"Fuu-chan, Aya-chan's moving in your man!" Miko teased her.

"Aw, shut up!" Fuuko ruffled his hair. "He's not my man!"

"Hey, not the hair! Not the hair!"

Moments later, when the crowd had settle down, Mikagami felt a hand on his ankles.

"You know what, Mi-chan?" Fuuko looked up to him. "You're alright."

It was a disaster. 

Imprisoned in the beach house by the rain, the Kirisawas are beginning to get bored.

And bored Kirisawas are not a pretty sight.

Put thirty or so of them together inside one house with nothing to do is like collecting firecrackers in one room and placing a lighted match inside.

Take today, for instance.

The kids had discovered a magic wand (a karaoke mike) and the Kirisawas had discovered the joys of karaoke.

At that moment, Miko was singing an off-key rendition of Sex Bomb, wiggling his hips in time to the music.

"I'm going to have nightmares from this," Fuuko groaned.

The six children, Ganko, Aya, Touya, Kenjie, and the terrible twins, Yuki and Yuui, started dancing next to Miko.

"Thank you, thank you very much," Miko bowed after the song, doing a bad impression of the King.

"Me next!" Ruriko grabbed the mike from Miko.

Yuri groaned. "Honey, no!" He tried to pull his girlfriend to his lap, but Ruriko was insistent.

"What do you want to sing?" Fuuko asked her as she browsed at the selection.

"Watch and learn." Ruriko winked at her.

Fuuko groaned as she heard the opening bars of Destiny's Child's Bootylicious. 

Ruriko decided to get creative with the lyrics.

_Sano, can you handle this?  
Miko, can you handle this?  
Kuno, can you handle this?  
I don't think they can handle this_

_My boy Yuri, can you handle this?  
My girl Fuuko, can you handle this?  
Mi-chan, can you handle this?  
My ghettos you can't handle this_

Ruriko pulled Yuri to his feet. She then started dancing. Yuri laughed and decided to humor his girlfriend. He started to mechanically shake his hips.

"You've got two left feet, niisan!" Miko teased.

Yuri reddened. "Well, I like to see you do better." He challenged his younger brother.

_Barely move cause we've arrived  
Lookin sexy, lookin fly  
We're the baddest chicks, chicks inside  
DJ jam tonight  
Spotted me a tender thang  
There you are, come on baby  
Don't you wanna boogie with me  
So can you handle, handle me_

Ever the show-off, Miko pulled Fuuko to the middle of the room. He started shaking his booty.

Fuuko, not to be outdone, started swinging her hips playfully. She then pulled Ganko to the dance floor.

_You gotta do much better if you gone dance with me tonight  
You gotta work your jelly if you gone dance with me tonight  
Cause I don't think they ready for that jelly for them boys  
I don't think they ready for that jelly for them boys  
I don't think they ready for that jelly   
Yuri, Fuuko and Miko it's time for takeoff_

Delighted, the kids started swinging to the beat.

Aya, to Mikagami's horror, had grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the sofa.

"You wouldn't say no to your girlfriend, would you, Mi-chan?" Fuuko teased him.

A reluctant Mikagami followed Aya to the dance floor, his eyes shooting daggers at his ex-teammate. 

Aya started dancing enthusiastically to the music, holding on to her new boyfriend.

Led by the child, Mikagami stood as still as a pole.

"Hey, niisan, we finally found a worse dancer than you." Miko called out.

_I don't think you ready for this jelly  
I don't think you ready for this jelly  
I don't think you ready for this   
Cause my body too bootylicious for you babe_

The rest of the guys still seated had also gone into the fray, moving their hips about and showing just how bootylicious they can be.

_I don't think you ready for this jelly  
I don't think you ready for this jelly  
I don't think you ready for this   
Cause my body too bootylicious for you babe_

"How about dancing with your Uncle Miko, Aya-chan?" Miko asked playfully as he shoved Fuuko forward and scooped the laughing child into his arms.

And that left…

Fuuko and Mikagami both froze in the middle of a dance step and stared uncomfortably at each other.

Ganko saw the two and rolled her eyes. She playfully pushed her neechan towards her ice cold niisan.

_I shake my jelly at every chance  
When I whip with my hips you slip into a trance  
I'm hoping you can handle all this jelly that I have  
Now let's cut a rug while we shake our...._

Mikagami caught Fuuko in his arms, just as her eyes caught his. 

They both turned red, but neither was willing to move from their spot.

He broke the spell first as steadied her and made sure that she was on her own two feet before crossing his arms defiantly.

"Come on, Fuu-chan, shake that booty!" Junko shouted out loud.

Fuuko recovered first. She rolled her eyes and started dancing, away from the ice blue stare, if not as freely as before.

_I'm about to break you off   
H-town goin hard  
Lead my hips, slap my thighs  
Swing my hair, square my eyes  
Lookin hot, smellin good  
Groovin like I'm from the hood  
Look over my shoulder, I'll blow you a kiss  
Can you handle, handle this_

Mikagami saw the challenge in Fuuko's eyes. They were daring him to quit and stalk off the dance floor.

He hated dares. His pride would never let him back off one. 

Had it been a fight, he would've cheerfully accepted the challenge, with or without his ensui.

But, this was another matter.

_I don't think you ready for this jelly  
I don't think you ready for this jelly  
I don't think you ready for this  
Cause my body too bootylicious for you babe_

Mikagami turned around and made his way back to his seat elegantly and merely contented himself with watching the Kirisawas make a fool out of themselves.

_I don't think you ready for this jelly  
I don't think you ready for this jelly  
I don't think you ready for this  
Cause my body too bootylicious for you babe_

Fuuko was twirled around by a laughing Janko, while Kuno had picked up Ganko and the two started a weird looking waltz.

Mikagami felt something stir within him. Was it envy? Envy that they were having fun while he was imprisoned in his ice cold tower of his, never able to let himself go…

_Move your body up and down (whoo)  
Make your booty touch the ground (whoo)  
I can't help but wonder why (whoo)  
Is my vibe too vibealacious for you, babe_

What a bunch of silly monkeys! Mikagami frowned and looked away, trying hard not to hear the sound of their laughter.

He resolved that he would never lower himself to their level, degrading themselves in the name of fun. 

Wouldn't he?

_I shake my jelly at every chance (uh)  
When I whip with my hips you slip into a trance (uh)  
I'm hoping you can handle all this jelly that I have (uh)  
Now let's cut a rug while we scat some jazz_

Almost too soon, the song ended.

"Did your so-called grace and fluidity desert you, Mi-chan?" Fuuko teased him with a smirk.

"Hmp." Mikagami glared at her, as if daring her to say another word. 

The rain was beginning to die down.

"Niisan!" Fuuko screeched when the front door dramatically burst open, revealing a rain-drenched man in a yellow raincoat. She immediately launched herself into her niisan whom she haven't seen since he entered the university for the semester.

"What did you do, walk here?" Eri asked her grandson, favoring him with a kiss on the cheek. 

"I'll get you some towels,"

"Have you eaten yet?"

From the corner of the living room, Mikagami watched to women fawn over the new-arrival. Fuuko's brother, Shoji, looked a lot like her. The both inherited the Kirisawa purple hair, the soulful plum eyes, the nose, and the skin coloring. He was only a lot taller and heavier built than his slender sister.

Shoji was dragged to the kitchen by the ladies. He came out a moment later with a plate laden with food.

When Shoji was comfortably seated down in front of the TV, Miko walked up to him and whispered something. Mikagami didn't miss the mischievous twinkle in his purple eyes, followed by an enthusiastic nod to his cousin.

Miko snickered and walked away.

Mikagami shrugged it off as none of his business and resumed his conversation about cars with Junko.

About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Reiko-san answered it and was surprised that a police officer was at the door. 

Mikagami noticed Sano shepherding the kids upstairs.

"Yes, officer?" Eri asked with a frown.

"Yes, is a Fuuko Kirisawa here?" The officer asked.

"Me, I'm Fuuko Kirisawa!"

"Well, ma'am, we received a complaint," the officer said as he stepped inside, brandishing his handcuffs.

**~tbc**

P.S.

Please don't kill me whimpers pitifully I was watching the MTV of Bootylicious while I was writing this, and I thought wouldn't it be fun if…

Anyway, the card game that Miko, Yuri, Fuuko, and Jou were playing was Pairs (or more affectionately known as _pares-pares _or _monkey-monkey_. It's a game similar to old maid).


	5. Trippin' Thursday

Disclaimer: Flame of Recca or its characters do not belong to me.

A/N:  
Thanks are due to Ranka who beta-read for me. 

Anyway, this chapter appeared out of nowhere. Even I didn't know what was going to happen in the end until the time I was typing it. And oddly, this became my favorite chapter. Hmm. See why at the end. Hehehe. I held on to it for the longest time because I planned on changing it because for the life of me I'm unable to write its continuation. But I'm stubborn. I like the chapter and I'm willing to go to the end of the earth to keep it as is. =)

Enjoy. And please tell me if you liked this chapter as much as I did. Thanks.

Kindred 

**Chapter** **5:** **Tripping** **Thursday**

"Yes, officer?" Eri asked with a frown.

"Yes, is a Fuuko Kirisawa here?" The officer asked.

"Me, I'm Fuuko Kirisawa!"

"Well, ma'am, we received a complaint," the officer said as he stepped inside, brandishing his handcuffs.

"About what?" Fuuko asked worriedly. "I haven't done anything,"

"I think you better sit down, Fuu-chan," her brother told her.

"And let the officer explain everything," Miko added.

Fuuko did as she was told, moving as if she was in a daze.

"Kirisawa-san," the officer began. "My name is Lieutenant Akira." He paused for dramatic effect. "And I'm here to rock your world!" With that, the police officer tore open his top, the shiny buttons flying everywhere.

"Hit it, baby!" Miko cheered as he turned on the music. "Yeah!"

The police officer/stripper began a very provocative dance in front of Fuuko and the ladies. The elder Kirisawa men laughed and quickly excused themselves.

At that point, Fuuko groaned and covered her face with her hands. Her brother would have none of it. 

"We paid good money for this, my dear imotousan," he grinned at her as he forced her hands down.

The stripper was now undoing his boots.

Fuuko started turning red.

"Let's go boys, let the ladies enjoy themselves," Miko called out.  

Mikagami was out the door in an instant.

"Miko! You idiot! I'm gonna kill you!" A rampaging Fuuko practically flew into the living room and straight at her cousin about half an hour later.

"Whoa! Fuu-chan!" Miko gasped as he found an angry Fuuko on top of him.

Fuuko started pummeling him.

"Fuu-chan, relax," Shoji said as he tried to pull his little sister off his cousin.

"No," Fuuko growled at him. "Fall in line, you're up next,"

Miko took advantage of the exchange between the siblings to escape Fuuko's wrath. Fuuko saw him ran out of the room.

"Hey, you coward! Come back here!" Fuuko followed her cousin out of the room.

"Mind the furniture, children." 

"Don't break anything."

"By the way, Miko, thanks for the show. I enjoyed it very much. It reminded me of my younger days."

The last statement, spoken by nana, made the boys sweatdrop.

"Just how much did you tip, nana?"

As usual, Mikagami heard her first before he saw her. 

Fuuko walked into the kitchen around ten. The rest of the family was already outside, enjoying the sunshine. She took an apple from the basket at the center of the table and was about to move out. But she suddenly stopped and did a double-take.

"Mi-chan, is that you?" She frowned as she walked back to the table to stare at her sempai.

Mikagami ignored her and simply turned the page of the paper he was reading.

"Boy, Mi-chan, you sure live up to your reputation of a genius." 

"Don't you have anywhere else to go, Kirisawa?" Mikagami asked her without lifting his eyes off the newspaper.

"Yeah, to the beach," she replied as she moved closer to her stoic friend. "The sun is shining outside, we should take advantage of the good weather."

Mikagami turned another page of the paper.

Suddenly, his eyeglasses were swept off his face.

"Kirisawa!" 

Fuuko shoved Mikagami's glasses on her nose. "Look at me, I'm smart!"

"Give it back, Kirisawa," Mikagami grated out, a vein popping on top of his right eyebrow.

"How come I never see you wear these?" She asked, totally ignoring him.

Mikagami stood up and snatched the glasses away from her, or at least, tried to.

"Nope, Mi-chan, too slow." Fuuko stuck her tongue out at him.

"Give it back," Mikagami told her as he attempted to wrestle the pair away from him.

But Fuuko easily danced around him. "You must be loosing your touch, Mi-chan," she teased.

Mikagami swiftly moved after her. "I need those to read, Kirisawa," he had her effectively trapped between his body and the kitchen counter.

"Hey, Fuu-chan, are you still mad about last night?" Miko walked into the kitchen. He froze when he saw the compromising position Fuuko and Mikagami were in. His shocked face gave way into a conspiring grin. "Oh." He nodded knowingly. "I must be interrupting something. Well. Don't let me bother you." He quickly walked out. "Friends indeed," they heard him mutter.

"Kirisawa, did you hurt him last night?" Mikagami asked Fuuko, finally taking the glasses away from her.

"Yes. Very much so," she replied.

"Good." With that, Mikagami walked away.

Mikagami stifled a sigh. 

The sun was shining gloriously outside, as if to make up for the rain the day before. The beach-deprived Kirisawas had all flocked to the beach. He decided it was time for his much-needed solitude, and had planned to raid the Kirisawa library he found when he was toured by Fuuko two days ago.

Unfortunately, Aya had found him on his way to the library and the child had insisted that he see the sand castle that she and Ganko made. And Aya wouldn't take no for an answer.

So he let the child lead him to the beach.

Once there, he saw Kaoru taking his turn at wakeboarding while the rest of the adolescent brats were riding on the speed boat that was pulling him.

The elder Kirisawas were on a raft of some sort. The younger ones on the beach, catching up on some tanning.

On the other hand, Miko had fallen asleep while sunbathing, and the youngest batch of Kirisawas, led by Fuuko, was burying him up to his neck.

"Aya-chan! Hurry!" Ganko called out to her friend as she indicated that she help with the burying.

Sand castle forgotten, Aya giggled and dragged Mikagami quickly into the site.

Arriving there, Aya let go of her _boyfriend's_ hand and started scooping sand into the already-buried body of Miko.

Mikagami sat down a few feet away from them uninterestedly.

"You know what would be better?" Fuuko asked the kids. "A Miko mermaid!"

The childred squealed in delight as Mikagami winced involuntarily. He resolved not to get on Fuuko's bad side too much.

Moments later, Fuuko and the children stepped back and admired their handiwork.

Sleeping Miko, buried in the sand until his neck, now boasts of a pair of large D-cup breasts, a sexy figure, and large tail fins, complete with sea shells to double as scales.

How Miko could have slept through all of it, Mikagami wasn't sure.

"I have to take a picture!" Rika-san, Miko's mom, said delightedly as she brandished her new digital camera and started taking pictures from all angles. 

"Can I have one?" Fuuko asked. "I'm going to post it in Miko's dorm's web site." 

Lunch time was a barbeque at the Kirisawa front yard.

Mikagami found himself sharing a table with Fuuko and Shoji.

Miko, on the other hand, was dodging small Kirisawa fists, for ruining their Miko Mermaid.

Miko had woken up a few minutes earlier. He stared in horror for a few minutes at his new-found breasts before hollering that the two weren't proportional. 

He had begged to be excavated, but the kids were adamant that their mermaid not be touched.

He was only let out when he complained that he cannot breath anymore.

"I talked to the boat man a while ago, he said he'll take us to the cave on the other side of the sea." Shoji was telling his sister.

"We haven't done that for ages!" Fuuko replied enthusiastically. "Remember when we used to go treasure-hunting there? I think the last time we were there was two or three years ago, with Domon and Recca."

Shoji nodded. "That was fun,"

Fuuko nodded vigorously. She poked at the silent man beside her. "You'll love it there." She said. "It's cold and damp and dark,"

Mikagami gave her a death glare that she merely shrugged off.

"Let's take Ganko and Kaoru and the kids!" Fuuko said excitedly.

Shoji shook his head. "It'll be a bit dangerous for the kids to go there," he said. "It just rained really hard yesterday."

"Point," Fuuko agreed, but she couldn't help but be disappointed.

"But remember the different kinds of sea creatures that turns up there whenever it rains?" Shoji asked. 

Fuuko smirked. "So we are going there later, only without the kids."

Shoji nodded. "Yeah. And you and Mikagami-san can go off for some time alone together." He winked. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Niisan!"

Mikagami winced as he once again had full-view of Fuuko's legs. Just as he was finally chalking him off as the monkey that she is, she just had to show off her nice, long, now tanned, legs, the wraparound she was wearing over her bikini not short enough to conceal them.

So Mikagami dragged his eyes upwards. Only to notice how beautiful she was with the wind tossing her purple locks away from her face as the boat they were riding moved forward at an amazing speed.

Did he just call her beautiful?

Why, oh, why did he have to sit across from her?

Mikagami had to admit that the cave was pretty impressive. Once inside, the path branches into three different paths that would lead them to goodness knows where.

"How about we split up and try to find a purple starfish?" Shoji suggested.

It was a game between them when they were younger. The search for a starfish that was of a same shade as their hair.

So far, no one's found one yet. They found a red one, a blue one, a yellow one, an orange one, a lavender one, but never a starfish that was the same shade as their hair.

"Alright," Fuuko nodded, loving the challenge.

"Ruriko, Shoji, Miko, and I will go to the left." Yuri declared. "Sano, Kuno, Junko would take the middle,"

"But that would leave me and Mi-chan with just the two of us. How about niisan come with us?" Fuuko protested.

"The last time we're here, I teamed up with Yuri and Miko," Shoji replied. "While you were with Recca and Domon. We already have a team,"

"How about we regroup?" Fuuko asked.

"No regroupings," Miko insisted as they began walking towards their assigned paths. "Good luck Fuu-chan."

The two didn't notice the secret smiles that were being exchanged between the Kirisawa men and Ruriko.

Left behind, Fuuko and Mikagami stared dumbly at each other. 

"Hey, Mi-chan, wait up!" Fuuko called as she jumped over slippery rocks and water.

Mikagami ignored her and continued his effortless ambling of the cave.

"Hello! Mi-chan, don't go too fast, we're supposed to be looking for a purple starfish," Fuuko protested as she took a moment to look around her surroundings. "Mi-chan, I said wait up!"

But Mikagami was already disappearing around the corner.

Fuuko frowned as she remembered the horror stories she had been told as a child about solitary women going into the cave and never coming out, about pirates and ghosts and serial killers that lived at every turn and corner of the cave.

Now Fuuko was a very brave person, just ask her opponents in the UBS. However, her courage would not just win over years and years of mental conditioning that those caves were a very dangerous and frightening place to be in if you're alone.

"Mi-chan!" She called out as she doubled her speed.

Unfortunately, she miscalculated her jump and landed on a particularly slippery rock. She cursed as she slipped and soon found herself being dunked in a relatively deep area of water.

Mikagami, a few meters ahead, heard the curse and the splash of water and immediately retraced his steps. "Kirisawa?" He called out. He began to get worried.

His fears were abated when Fuuko's face bobbed out of the water, coughing.

"Baka," he chastised her as he moved towards her and extended a hand.

"Hello, a little sympathy here," Fuuko grumbled. "I just fell into the water because you wouldn't wait for me," she was rambling as she took his hand and pulled herself out of the water.

Mikagami didn't say anything.

"The water is cold you know," she continued.

Mikagami fished her out of the water and steadied her on her feet.

"And you're not even saying anything to console me," Fuuko glared at him. "I'll never know why I thought you were cute,"

The corner of Mikagami's mouth drew upwards.

But Fuuko continued on her tirade, unaware that she just placed her foot in her mouth. "You are such a snow man, you know that? This is all your fault." 

At this point, Fuuko had started shivering.

"You thought I was cute?" Mikagami asked her quietly as he quickly opened the buttons of his shirt.

That immediately shut her up, her eyes becoming as wide as saucers.

Mikagami shrugged off his shirt and placed it on Fuuko's shoulders.

"Did I say cute?" Fuuko's wits left her. "I meant cold. You are so cold, you know that?"

"Kirisawa, shut up," Mikagami told her with a smirk.

Fuuko gasped as she saw Mikagami inch closer towards her.

_He's gonna kiss me,_ she thought. Unused to being in such a situation, she froze.

When their faces were only inches apart, Mikagami smiled at her.

_This is it._

Mikagami's arms went behind her body.

_My first kiss._ Involuntarily, Fuuko's eyes shut close.

"Kirisawa?"

"Mmm?" Fuuko opened her eyes in confusion. Would Mi-chan really call her Kirisawa during such a romantic time?

"A purple starfish," Mikagami smirked at her, handing her the sea creature. He took a step backward.

Fuuko's mouth fell open. 

Did he really just do that just to reach for the purple starfish that had clung to Fuuko's back when she fell into the water? 

Angrily (and with no small amount of embarrassment), she turned around and stalked off. "Argh! Men!" Did she just make a fool out of herself in front of Mikagami? That good for nothing, unfeeling, soulless, freezing block of ice!

To her surprise, she was jerked backwards when she tried to take another step.

She found herself cocooned in Mikagami's arms.

And suddenly, he was kissing her.

All thoughts left Fuuko's mind as she closed her eyes once more and instinctively kissed him back.

**~tbc**

P.S.

More insanity to come. 

Is Mi-chan too OOC? Don't forget to click on the review button and leave me a note!


	6. Fantastic Friday

Disclaimer: Flame of Recca or its characters do not belong to me.

A/N: 

Monday was my first day of school. Due to the inhumane amount of readings and paper works our professors gleefully assigns, updates would drastically be cut down from twice a week to once every two weeks, if I'm lucky sighs

Where have the summer gone?

Anyway, to all ye folks out there, if this chapter seemed forced, it probably is ^^;; Told yah I can't seem to write the continuation of chapter 5. This is the best I could come up with…but I think the next chap's going to be better.

If not for the enthusiastic reviews, I wouldn't have bothered with this chapter (hint! Hint!). 

I need a transitory chap between the kiss and the main climax/crisis of my story. =) And yes, that is my unsubtle way of saying for you to review my fic! Thanks!

Thanks to Ranka for the beta! Oh, thanks for reminding me about Aya. I had something really big planned for her, but scrapped it out at the last minute. I'll write her back in.

Kindred Chapter 6: Fantastic Friday 

"Mmm, it is fruitier!" Miko savored his first spoonful of colorful cereals. He was resigned to eating cereals because his mom and aunts had decided that it was their day off and had gone off to watch the sunsets with their husbands.

Across from Miko, Shoji was drinking his morning coffee while reading the sports section of the paper. Beside Shoji was Mikagami who was ignoring his breakfast completely, favoring the front page of the paper.

"Uncle Miko, leave some for me!" Yuki protested as he grabbed the box of cereals.

"And me," his identical twin brother, Yuui, agreed.

"Alright, alright, there's enough for everyone," Miko said as he stood up and grabbed two bowls for the twins. 

The twins sat down rather clumsily as they settled on the kitchen table. 

Moments later, a rather ruffled Fuuko walked in the kitchen. "Morning guys,"

Miko checked his watch. It was way too early for Fuuko to be up.

Miko saw that Fuuko had Mikagami's attention the moment she walked in the kitchen. A slight smile was playing on the iceman's lips. 

And when Fuuko noticed this, she turned bright red. But she too had a secret smile playing on her mouth. 

Miko grinned like the cat which swallowed the canary.

Fuuko saw Miko grinning like he had something up his sleeve. She was instantly nervous. "What?"

"Did something happen in the cave that we should know about?" He asked slyly.

Fuuko reddened while Shoji folded his newspaper to listen in interest.

Mikagami lowered his newspaper a bit before deciding not to get involved. He turned the page and resumed his reading like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"W-what makes you say that?" Fuuko stuttered.

"Exhibit A," Miko said, dramatically gesturing towards Mikagami. "A man who can't eat."

Shoji smirked.

"Exhibit B," this time, Miko gestured towards Fuuko. "A woman who can't sleep. And what are they symptoms of?"

"Love!" The twins shrieked in unison.

Miko beamed. "Right! And the grand prize goes to Yuki and Yuui!" 

Both twins jumped up and started bouncing in excitement. "Aunty Fuu-chan's in love!" They sang.

Fuuko's palm met with the back of Miko's head. "Don't encourage them." She turned to the twins. "Eat your breakfast," she told them.

Yuki stuck his tongue out before he and his brother dutifully obeyed her.

"Itai!" Miko cried as he rubbed his head. "But that doesn't answer my question, my dear Fuu-chan," Miko told her with a relish. "Did something happen in the cave yesterday? I mean after you guys came out, you were both acting pretty weird,"

"Something did happen, Miko," Shoji finally cut it.

"Really? What? What?"

"They captured a purple starfish."

Fuuko didn't say anything about the latest development in her life to any of the Kirisawas. She was positive that Mi-chan didn't.

But somehow, they knew. They knew that she and Mi-chan had become more than mere friends.

_"Maybe it's the way Mikagami's eyes kept following you around," Miko had suggested to her when she broached the topic to him. "Or is it because of the idiotic grin you've been wearing since disembarking from the boat yesterday? Of course, I might be persuaded to do more research if you tell me what actually happened in the cave,"_

And they weren't even surprised! The elder Kirisawas were looking at them with a knowing look in their eyes, like they knew from the beginning that it would come to this. 

"Maybe it's because we knew that the Kirisawa charm would be too hard to resist, Fuu-chan," Aunt Rika had told her. "Even for a—what's the word you used again to describe him? Ah, yes. A refrigerator," 

She didn't know whether to be flattered that her family knew her so well, or be terrified that her family knew her so well.

Of course, dealing with the grown-ups was a snap. It was the teenagers and the kids they would have a problem with.

She should've taken the incident that morning with Miko as a premonition of things to come.

However, her esteem of Mi-chan was going up, seeing how well he was handling the brunt of the teasing and the lecturing of her family.

"So, Miko's right, you guys discovered your love for each other while you were alone in the cave," Ruriko sighed. "How romantic!"

Fuuko reddened. "It's nothing like that!" She tried to protest.

"I knew that the two of you would finally come together Thursday afternoon," Yuri grinned victoriously. "I win! Pay up guys!"

Instead of merely tainting her cheeks, this time Fuuko saw red. "You were betting on us?" She demanded, her eyes narrowing.

"If only I thought of bringing the two of you in the caves on Wednesday," Miko grumbled, handing a handful of yens to his elder brother. "Then I would've won,"

Mikagami could've sworn that steam was coming out of his new girlfriend's ears. He then felt his lips draw up. _Girlfriend_. That was new to him. But it had some nice ring to it…

"Why you—" Fuuko had shaken a closed fist at her offending cousins. Her cousins and Ruriko thought that was their cue to get out of the kitchen.

Fuuko was about to follow them, but she was jerked backwards by her niisan.

"Do you know what this is, Mikagami?" Shoji asked holding out a small packet for the two to see.

Fuuko gasped, then reddened. "Oh, please, don't let it be what I think it is," she groaned as she snatched the thing from her brother. She glanced at it and screeched, tossing the thing into the counter like it was a snake ready to bite her. Agitated, she stormed out of the room, muttering about crazed elder brothers who have dirty minds.

Mikagami barely glanced at the offending object on the counter. "Was that really necessary?" He asked.

Shoji grinned at him. "Fuuko, despite acting the way she does, is actually quite conservative," he replied. "She couldn't stand talks about the birds and the bees." 

Mikagami could only shake his head in amusement. It's true that the Kirisawas would go to such extreme lengths to annoy and torment each other. But Shoji takes the cake. To think of giving his younger sister and her new boyfriend a condom! It must be one of those family things, Mikagami thought to himself.

"But seriously, man," Shoji turned to him, all serious now. "I'm glad that the two of you finally came together," with a cordial pat on Mikagami's shoulder, Shoji went after his sister to continue his tirade about handling the responsibilities of being in a relationship.

"My dad and his four brothers grew up in this house," Fuuko told Mikagami. "Now only nana lives here. But she says she's OK with it."

Mikagami took a long gulp of his iced tea. He was seated beside Fuuko on the sand, sharing a towel. However, two people could fit into the space between him and her. They didn't even try to come into contact with each other since their, er, encounter the day before.

The two of them were keeping an eye on the kids, and generally just hanging out, enjoying each other's company. It was an activity that was very foreign to him. In the past, he felt that hanging out is a major a waste of time, done by people with nothing else better to do. Now, he found that he was appreciating Fuuko's mindless chatter. 

Suddenly, he felt an arm around his shoulders. He turned to his companion in surprise. Fuuko may be aggressive, but he didn't think she was this forward!

To his surprise, instead of Fuuko's attractive face, he saw Miko's instead.

Miko had crawled between Fuuko and Mikagami, and had placed his arms around the two's shoulders, drawing the two of them towards him. "Are you sure that finding that purple starfish was the only thing you did yesterday?" He asked, his voice dripping with innuendo.

Mikagami saw that Fuuko's face was becoming overridden with veins.

"Come on, little cuz, you can tell Miko here what you did," Miko prodded Fuuko. "I wouldn't tell nana or Shoji,"

"Am I invited to your funeral, Miko-san?" Mikagami asked him seriously.

Miko frowned as he pondered the question. "Funeral?"

"You are soo dead!" With a yell, Fuuko grabbed Miko's arm that was on her shoulder and had tossed him forward.

Apparently, Miko had the same grace and agility as his cousin. He deftly flipped in the air and landed on his two feet like a graceful cat. "Oh. Was that a joke, Mikagami?" He was looking at Mikagami, yet at the same time, dodging Fuuko's blows.

"Stay still!" Fuuko grated out as she rose from her sitting position and tried to land a punch or two at her irritating cousin.

"You want a piece of me?" Miko playfully provoked Fuuko. "Come and get me," he took a few steps backwards in retreat.

"I'll come and get you alright!" Fuuko snapped back at him as she ran towards him, her fist ready and able.

The two began a rather complicated combat with Fuuko on the offensive while Miko was on the defensive. To a bystander, it would seem that the two's movements were choreographed with all the elegance they were exhibiting. 

The kids saw the two and decided that they wouldn't want to be left out from all the fun. As one, the kids had thrown themselves on Miko, causing him to fall down.

Mikagami smirked. 

A shadow fell on him.

He looked up.

"Hi," a long haired girl wearing a red bikini was standing in front of him, waving a flyer in his face. 

Mikagami took the flyer but didn't say anything.

"I'm Rei," she said. "I'm, like, inviting you to a free concert in boardwalk, like, tonight." She grinned flirtatiously at him. "I'll, like, be there,"

"Miko here," Miko immediately shook Fuuko and the kids free. He was beside Rei in an instant, slipping an arm around the woman's shoulders. "And I'll be there, baby," he said in a smooth, deep, and incredibly cheesy voice.

"Like, ew." Rei grimaced. She shrugged Miko off and turned her full charm on Mikagami. "So, like, how about you?"

Miko, unruffled, grinned mercilessly at Mikagami. "Dude, take your girlfriend there," he told him with a wink, emphasizing the word 'girlfriend.'

"You, like, have a girlfriend?" Rei asked in horror.

"Yes," Miko answered for the ice prince. "In fact, that's her over there," he gestured further towards the beach where Fuuko, loosing interest in Miko, was now playing in the waves with the children.

Rei looked over her shoulder. "Oh," she sighed in disappointment. "I guess I'll, like you know, be seeing yah," she stalked off muttering 'what does she have that I don't' under her breath.

"So, I'll look for you there, right?" Miko called after her. "Right? Hey, Rei-san! I'll see you tonight, right?"

"Tokiya-niisan!" Ganko screeched as she jumped up and grabbed Mikagami by the neck. She suddenly squeezed the life out of him in a tight bear hug. 

Kaoru suddenly appeared beside him, knowingly nudging the taller man with his elbow. "You sly fellow, you," he smirked.

Holding the two kids by the scruff of their neck, he wrenched them away from him.

"Are you Fuuko-neechan's boyfriend now?" Ganko asked him, a happy smile plastered on her face.

Mikagami put them down and started to walk away. Ever persistent, Ganko followed her niisan.

But Kaoru had something better in mind. "I always thought Fuuko-nee liked Raiha-niisan,"

Mikagami suddenly stopped. Ganko, who was walking right behind him, smashed into his legs.

"Give me a warning before you stop, will you?" Ganko grumbled, rubbing her injured nose.

Kaoru knew that he had his niisan's attention. "Raiha-niisan calls himself Fuuko-neechan's prince. He saved her life twice." Kaoru grinned.

Ganko frowned as her hand absently stroked her chin. "Hey, not that you mentioned it, I often saw Raiha-niisan in the house after that horrible Mori-san incident." She shuddered at the memory.

Mikagami knew that he'd been had. He wanted so badly to ask what had happened with Raiha, but he'd rather cut off his own hand than ask.

"But I never saw him again after Kaoru-niisan and Kurei-niisan came back," Ganko continued her train of thought.

_Ah_. Mikagami smirked. He now knows what had happened. With an arrogant 'hmp,' he feigned indifference and walked away.

"Hey! Tokiya-niisan!" Kaoru shouted after him. 

So, Raiha left Fuuko when Kurei came back, Mikagami thought. Apparently, the blood connection that the ninja had with his Master Kurei was stronger than what he felt with Fuuko. 

He crossed his arms as his eyes quickly located a certain girl on the beach. 

Well, all the better for him…

"Let's go!" Fuuko shrugged on her jacket as she made her way to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ruriko asked Fuuko.

Fuuko's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "To the concert." She replied. "We're going, right?"

"And what do you think you're wearing?"

Fuuko glanced at her T-shirt and baggy shorts. "Uh, same thing as everyone else," she gestured towards what her brother and cousins were wearing.

"Exactly," Ruriko grinned maliciously at her. "We couldn't have you running around dressed like a guy, could we?" She took a firm hold on Fuuko's arm and started dragging her upstairs. "Give me half an hour, guys."

"What? Wait! Ruriko-chan! Where're we going?"

"Are you sulking?" Miko asked as he peered intently into his cousin's face.

Fuuko ignored him and continued walking, determined to get to the concert without talking to any of her relatives.

"You are sulking," Miko laughed.

Fuuko pushed him away. "I am not sulking."

"Hey, guys, Fuu-chan's sulking," Miko laughed, running ahead to catch up with Yuri and Ruriko who had walked ahead, holding hands.

Mikagami fondly watched Fuuko who was walking ahead of him. She was indeed sulking. 

When Ruriko had dragged her upstairs that afternoon for a change in outfit, all the Kirisawa women (Ganko and Aya included) had decided to join in the fun. Together, they dressed up Fuuko like a doll of some sort. Fuuko was now wearing a form-fitting black tank top with the word 'Rebel' printed in bold red at the front. Ruriko also lent her a mini-skirt that showed off Fuuko's long legs (to Mikagami's combined pleasure and horror). A sliver of flesh occasionally peeks from between her top and skirt. The wives of her elder cousins had pooled their jewelry and lent Fuuko all the silver pieces they could gather (and making Fuuko feel like a walking lightning rod. Oh, joy!). And she finally wore the strappy sandals that Eri had given her last Christmas but never wore. Fuuko was now dressed like a girl, and a stylish one at that!  
  
But that wasn't why Fuuko was sulking. The clothes, she can take. After all, she didn't really care what she wore so long as she's comfortable in it. What she couldn't take was that her aunts had insisted that she take off her headband, never mind that her headband is a symbol of something that's very important to her. Her aunts had fixed her hair (which had gotten considerably longer since the Mori incident) into braids. True, it looked good on her, but it's the principle of the thing! She wants her headband back.

"But you look exceptionally beautiful tonight, my dear imouto-san," Shoji smiled at her as he patted her back and ran after Miko.

Mikagami and Fuuko were now left to walk together alone. Mikagami decided to take a gamble.

Slowly, without looking at her, he took her hand in his.

Fuuko looked at him in surprise. Slowly, a smile lit her face.  It was a bit uncomfortable first, walking like that, but she soon found out that she rather liked it. She appreciated the close contact, something which she knew that Mikagami never cared so much for. And to think, he was the one who initiated such!

Mikagami stole a glance or two (alright, a lot of stolen glances!) at his radiant companion. He knew he was a long way from verbally admitting to her (he could barely admit it to himself) the feelings that he was beginning to be aware of. But at least, through such small things, he could show her how important she had become to him.

Miko turned around and saw the proximity between Fuuko and Mikagami. He leered at them. "So, when are you going to tell me what happened in the cave? I want details, baby!"

The concert was well underway when their group arrived. And as soon as the Kirisawas heard the loud, pounding music, they started to move to the beat, bobbing their heads up and down.

Mikagami, more restrained than the carefree Kirisawas, contented himself with merely looking around.

Actually, the concert was in occasion of the opening of the new arcade along the strip of the beach. The organizers had put up a stage in the center of the area. The people were encouraged to wander around to buy food and souvenirs and stuff while listening to the concert.

"This is a great place for a first date," Miko elbowed Fuuko on the ribs unrepentantly. 

"Get lost," Fuuko grumbled at him.

"Right," Miko leered. "I get it,"

"Oh, for crying—" Fuuko grated out.

"Hey guys!" Miko called out to the rest of their companions. "Fuu-chan and Mikagami want some alone time with each other!"

Mikagami watched as Miko twirl Fuuko in time to the music. 

"C'mon, Mi-chan," Fuuko called to him. "Join us, it's fun!"

Mikagami glared at her and crossed his arms. "You wish," 

She knew he didn't mean anything by it. It was just his way. She knew that he would rather die a thousand painful deaths than admit that he was actually feeling all sorts of things towards her and her family.

"Oh, sorry," a girl had 'accidentally' bumped into Mikagami. She looked up and batted her baby blues into Mikagami's icy ones. "I'm Miaka, by the way." She grinned seductively. "And you're—"

"Not interested," Miko replied as he jostled for position. "But I am. Miko, at your service. Can I call you Mia-chan?"

Miaka grimaced as she totally ignored Miko and turned away, but not before slipping a piece of paper to Mikagami's breast pocket, gesturing to Mikagami to call her.

"That's what? The twentieth girl tonight?" Fuuko asked Mikagami with an amused smile.

 "Twenty-first, actually," Mikagami replied with an arrogant smirk. 

Miko delightedly took the paper with the girl's number from Mikagami. He added it to the others in his pocket. "I like your company, Mikagami."

"So, Fuu-chan, you're not jealous?" Shoji teased his sister.

"Me? Jealous? Of Fridge-Boy here?" Fuuko waved her hand dismissively. "Don't make me laugh," actually, she was quite used to seeing women fawn over her Mi-chan. She also knows how he treats them. So jealously was the farthest thing on her mind.

Mikagami was so relieved that Fuuko wasn't the jealous and possessive type. He had encountered his share of jealous women in the past, women even without the faintest claim on him. He was disgusted by it. And the last thing he wanted was to be owned by anyone.

"Let's get louder!" The lead vocalist of the band on stage yelled.

"Yeah!" The crowd cheered.

Fuuko and Miko turned their attention to the front, cheering and clapping with the rest of the people.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mikagami noticed one of the concert goers in front of them almost breaking his neck with the way he kept looking back at Fuuko. Mikagami frowned. From that moment on, he kept an eye on the stranger. To his immense dissatisfaction, he noted that the stranger's eyes never strayed away from Fuuko for too long.

"That was fun!" Ruriko laughed after the concert, holding on to Yuri's hand.

Yuri nodded. "Too bad we're going home tomorrow. We wouldn't be able to explore the new arcade."

"Miss!"

Fuuko stretched. "I'm beat," she admitted.

"Let's call it a night, then?" Shoji asked.

"Miss!"

The rest of the guys nodded in agreement.

Mikagami contemplated on whether or not to reach for Fuuko's hand again on the way home. But just as he was about to reach for it, the stranger he was eying with contempt earlier had suddenly appeared in their midst.

"Miss!" He panted. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't just let the night pass without at least getting to know your name,"

Shoji elbowed Miko. "Want to get him off Fuuko's back, like you did with Mikagami's admirers?" He whispered.

Miko gave a look of pure  pain. "You injure me," he groaned, but he was watching Mikagami closely, anticipating how the latter would react to Fuuko's new admirer.

Mikagami pursed his lips. His eyes narrowed. His hands clenched into tight fists.

"Er—" Fuuko tilted her head a bit as she gazed contemplatively at the man.

The stranger, encouraged by Fuuko's stare, bravely pressed on. 

"Well, we have to give him points for bravery," Yuri whispered to his girlfriend.

Ruriko nodded. Brave, that he was. brave, but Stupid. Fuuko was accompanied by three guys—Miko, Shoji, and Mikagami. But since Mikagami and Fuuko did not hold hands or did anything couples usually do, people could not tell that they were in a relationship. On the other hand, the tell-tale purple hair and purple eyes indicated that Fuuko was related to the rest of the guys. It was a logical assumption that Fuuko did not come to the concert with anyone, logical but erroneous. 

To Mikagami's horror, Fuuko's face broke into a warm grin.

"Hey, I know you," she told the man.

"Ah, yes." He grinned flirtatiously at her. "I'm a soccer player from the local university. You might have seen me play…"

Fuuko shook her head. "No. It isn't that. I _know_ you. From before," she scratched her head in contemplation. Then it hit her. "Shuuichi Fujima? Shu-chan?"

The man, Shuuichi nodded, giving Fuuko his best killer smile. "And you are?"

Miko started sniggering. Even Yuri and Shoji were amused.

But Mikagami didn't find anything funny in the exchange.

"Don't tell me you don't remember me?" Fuuko laughed out loud.

"I'm sure I would've remembered such a pretty face,"

Fuuko took the compliment in stride. "I was sure that you wouldn't forget me, but I doubt that my beauty is the reason for that,"

Was Fuuko flirting? Enraged, Mikagami opened his mouth to speak, to put the two in their proper place. However, a look from Shoji restrained him.

"I don't—" Shuuichi tried desperately to recall the woman before her.

"It's Fuuko." She encouraged him. 

"Fuuko…" Shuuichi's brow furrowed in concentration.

"Kirisawa, from the blue beach house. Don't you remember?" Fuuko pressed him.

Shuuichi finally shook his head. "I'm really sorry but—"

"Then, let me refresh your memory," Fuuko told him playfully. "I know that your two front teeth are false and more importantly, I also know why."

Shuuichi's eyes grew as wide as saucers. He turned red, then white, then green, then into a shade Mikagami couldn't identify. Quickly, Shuuichi mumbled something incomprehensible and made his quick exit.

"What was that all about?" Ruriko asked, raising an elegant eyebrow.

Finally, the Kirisawas succumbed to laughter.

"I beat him up when we were kids," Fuuko admitted. "He was the neighborhood bully."

Yuri nodded. "He once stuffed Miko in a garbage can," 

Miko reddened. "I was seven."

"And you were a shrimp, even for a seven-year old." Shoji added. "Fuuko, by the way was five and a half."

"Actually, Miko was a geek," Yuri added playfully.

"And when I found out, I broke Shu-chan's two front teeth," Fuuko finished proudly. "I was what then, six?"

Mikagami felt relief as it was Fuuko who reached for his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.

As they walked home, he let himself bask in the warmth that the Kirisawas never failed to elicit in him. But something was nagging him from inside.

Did he really feel the bitter stabs of jealousy when he thought Fuuko was flirting with the stranger?

For crying out loud, he was acting like a jealous boyfriend!

To be jealous meant that he was feeling something very, very deep for Fuuko. To be jealous, he had to lov—

He shook his head. Nope. Mustn't go there. 

He glanced at the woman holding his hand. She looked at him at the same moment. She gave him a reassuring smile.

Then, his grip on Fuuko's hand tightened when a realization hit him.

He _was_ actually a jealous boyfriend!

That thought brought immense satisfaction and pleasure. But most of all, he finally felt the ember of happiness burning from within him.

Happiness… 

He realized that he hadn't thought of Mifuyu since he left for the trip.

And when he finally did, he realized that remembering his sister wasn't as painful as before…

**~tbc**

P.S.

Er…right…whatever. =p

Feedback, please!

To cattleya, I'm a Filipina through and through. That's also my excuse for messing up the names of my OCs. =)

Yeah, just realized that yuri means girl love, right? Whoo, boy. Sorry, Yuri-san. Don't have enough Jap names to go around. ^^;;


	7. Solitary Saturday

Disclaimer:

I don't own Flame of Recca or any of its characters.

A/N:

I have good news and bad news. 

The good news is, I finally found the angsty stuff. It's coming out next chapter (you'll know why by the end of this chapter).

The bad news is, I finally found the angsty stuff. ^^;;; Does that make sense?

The credit for beta-reading all these stuff goes to Ranka. Thank you!

Thanks to Dark Phoenix and Kurie for answering my Yuri-name thingy. It's all clear to me now. Dark Phoenix said that Yuri's  a girl name. But since no one's complained yet and Kurei told me not to worry about it, I decided not to change Yuri's name. Thanks again, guys.

Anyway, well, somebody caught me (a shout out to Fire Arrow). ^^ But I swear, I wrote about Miko mermaid **before** I remembered watching a similar scene in an episode in Friends. The scene wasn't plagiarized (well, it was different to a certain extent). Must be my subconscious. But I am completely innocent about its similarity in Roswell (can you tell me which part reminds you of it? I'm dying to know. Thanks). I don't watch that show. I have a tendency to shy away from shows that aren't comedy.

Oh, and I'm so happy to find one of my readers is _Pinoy_. Hey, denise! _Ang kabanatang ito ay para sa aking mga kababayan ngayong araw ng ating kalayaan…_ (I've finished this chapter waaay back on June 12). _At sa tingin ko, alam mo kung bakit Yuri and ipinangalan ko sa isa sa mga tauhan ko. _;)

Thanks for the loveliest reviews. I'm a little down because of schoolwork, but your reviews really make my day sooo much brighter. A million thanks. I want to reply to each and everyone of you, but this A/N is long enough. Hah.

Kindred Chapter 7: Solitary Saturday 

"Hey," 

"Hey,"

Mikagami sat down at the living room couch where Fuuko was seated, leafing through a large book of some sort. He was surprised. It was only five thirty in the morning. "Early day?" He asked. She probably wanted to spend every remaining time at the beach house with her family before they leave back home after breakfast.

"More like late night," Fuuko replied easily, looking up at him and giving him a warm smile.

"No sleep?" Mikagami asked with a frown, absent-mindedly brushing a lock of stray hair behind her ears.

She shrugged. "I saw Miko sneaking around last night when I went down for a glass of milk," Fuuko said.

So that's where Miko went to. The Kirisawa playboy wasn't there when he woke up. He simply assumed that the former had woken up earlier than he did.

"He was looking for family photo albums," Fuuko replied, indicating the large book on her lap. "We looked for them for hours. And we've been here since we found them, just reminiscing." 

"Fuu-chan!" Miko called out. "Your hot cocoa order!" He appeared in the living room with two steaming cups of cocoa. "Hey, we have another customer," he said as he set down the cups on the coffee table. "What are we having?" He asked Mikagami.

Mikagami raised an eyebrow in reply.

"Tell him, Mi-chan," Fuuko urged. "Miko worked part time in a coffee shop. That's just about the only thing he's good at."

"Hey!" Miko protested, pinching Fuuko's nose.

"Ah, yes. That and practical jokes,"

"Coffee then," Mikagami replied. "Black,"

Miko frowned. "That's it? No cream, sugar, or milk? You mere mortals! You cannot even challenge my culinary expertise." With that, he turned away to make coffee in the kitchen.

Fuuko scooted over and pushed the album towards Mikagami. Mikagami hesitated a moment before casually draped his arm around the slender girl's shoulder, carefully balancing her against him.

Mikagami held his breath, expecting a Super Domon Punch from Fuuko because of his daring. To his surprise, Fuuko seemed to welcome the movement. She even snuggled closer to Mikagami like a small child. 

She sighed. "I used to sit like this with my daddy," she said wistfully.

Mikagami smirked. "I remind you of your father?"

Fuuko gave a laugh. "You and my daddy have absolutely nothing in common,"

Mikagami grinned at her. 

Fuuko turned a few pages of the album. "There, that's my dad."

He looked at the picture Fuuko pointed at. Yamato Kirisawa gave his daughter his purple hair and purple eyes.

The photo was taken on the shore. Yamato was tossing his first-born toddler in the air. Father and son were laughing. 

"Shoji-niisan's the one who looks like dad," Fuuko said with a wistful smile on her face.

"What happened?" He asked gently.

Fuuko looked away and Mikagami was almost sorry for ruining the mood for Fuuko.

"He was diagnosed with cancer when I entered junior high and died shortly afterwards. That was the most turbulent time of my life." She sighed at the memory. "I was so angry then.  My dad's sickness taught me to be strong, to be tough. But a someone else taught me real courage(*)." 

Mikagami sensed the love emanating from Fuuko. After all these years, she still loves him. And Mikagami doubted that she would ever stop. Mikagami knew the feeling well. He felt it with his neechan. And he knew that because of that love, there would always be a pain that they would feel that would never cease…

"I'm sorry," Mikagami told her softly, his free hand tilting her chin upwards so that they would be face to face, wanting to comfort her.

"Yeah," she said softly, oddly hypnotized by his ice blue eyes. "Me too," she smiled at him. "Thanks, Mi-chan."

Mikagami gazed back at her. Strangely, he saw no pain, no bitterness in those eyes, only peace and a hint of sadness. He did not see anything that resembles the turbulence that he sees in his eyes every morning. How could that be? They both lost someone very important in their lives. He, through his mentor, she through a heartbreaking disease. Yet, she can still smile at the world, oblivious to the pain that the Fates had dealt her. He frowned.

"Mi-chan?" She blinked in confusion at his frown. "What's wrong?"

Mikagami shook his head. "Nothing," he smiled grimly. 

"Here's your boring black coffee, Mikagami," Miko called out. "Oops. Did I enter at a bad time?"

"No!" Fuuko cried as she scrambled out of the sofa and swatted away the hands of her relatives.

"Don't be such a spoilsport!" Miko cried out as he ran after her.

"Niisan!" Fuuko called out as she tossed the album to him.

Yuri tried to intercept, but Fuuko's aim was true. Shoji easily caught the album. "Fuu-chan! Go long!" He called out.

"Oh, no you don't!" Junko cried as he tackled Fuuko to the floor.

"Niisan! It's up to you now!" Fuuko shouted.

All of the kids surrounded Shoji. They all stood on tiptoes, jumping up and down, trying to grab the albums for themselves.

Shoji raised his hands, making sure that the album was out of the children's reach.

"The things these children would do," Eri shook her head.

Beside Eri on the couch, Mikagami grinned. 

Yuri had lifted Ganko up so that she could snatch the album from her niisan.

"No fair!" Fuuko yelled. She had shaken Junko off and was now after the album.

Ganko was able to grab the album, particularly because the terrible twins had wrapped themselves around Shoji's legs, while Aya was hanging on his free arm.

Ganko quickly scurried to her Tokiya-niisan's side, placing the album on his lap and snuggling closer to him, pretty much like what Fuuko did that morning. 

The morning was spent in peace (at least, by Kirisawa standards) by the family, leafing through old family albums. However, when  Eri had brought out Yamato and Raye's kids baby photo album, Fuuko and Shoji reacted rather violently.

Ganko quickly opened the album. "Look, Tokiya-niisan, here's a naked baby picture of Fuuko-neechan in a bathtub," she pointed before leafing through it again. "And here's a naked picture of Fuuko-neechan playing in the rain with a naked Shoji-niisan," she leafed through it again. "And here is Fuuko-neechan, naked, in the beach,"

"Oi!" Fuuko groaned as she slapped her forehead.

"Thanks, nana," Fuuko said as she kissed her grandmother's cheek.

"Don't forget to write, Fuu-chan." Eri said as she hugged her granddaughter.

"'Bye, Mi-chan," Aya said shyly as she made Mikagami bend over so she can kiss him too.

"Mikagami, take care of Fuu-chan for me," Shoji said. Ganko and Kaoru were to ride home with him.

"Kaoru, we expect you to be back, you hear?" Eri told the young man. "You too, Tokiya-san."

Kaoru beamed. 

"Hey! Kaoru!" Hiroshi called him. 

"Go say good bye to your new friends," Eri patted his head. 

She watched as Kaoru ran over to the kids his age. Eri then turned to the quiet man beside her. "Thank you for coming, Tokiya-san. We enjoyed your company. Thank you for bringing my grandkids to me," Eri told him as Fuuko hugged and kissed her cousins, aunts, nephews, and nieces.

"It was my pleasure, Kirisawa-san," he said bowing politely.

Eri laughed. "I told you, I would have none of those formalities," 

"So you're still going to your dorm?" Mikagami heard Fuuko ask her niisan.

"I'm going to check my grades," he replied. "Plus, I promised Kaoru and Ganko that they could stay at my new bachelor's pad," he grinned. He and his friends had decided to rent an apartment for their senior year in the university. Shoji had insisted that they call it _the_ bachelor's pad.

Fuuko rolled her eyes.

"Fuu-chan," Aunt Rika called, shoving a piece of Tupperware at her niece's hands. "You're going to travel the furthest, so I baked some lasagna for you," she smiled.

"Oh, wait! There's some bananas in the kitchen, you better take some too." Aunt Hikari added. "Sano, be a dear and dash to the kitchen,"

Ruriko handed Fuuko a brown paper bag. "Yuri and I were at the arcade this morning. We bought cookies for you,"

Fuuko sweatdropped at the large amount of food on her arms. "Uh, thanks guys," she said.

"Oh, Fuu-chan, there's raw seafood in your cooler, for your mother," Eri called out.

"Thanks, nana," 

Mikagami thought he saw tears in the old woman's face.

"They must like you, Mi-chan," Fuuko grinned at him as he handed him the containers of food. "They have this compulsion to feed you,"

"Let's go," Mikagami told her as he helped her load the food in the car.

Fuuko nodded, but Eri cleared her throat.

"Mi-chan, nana wants you to kiss her goodbye, like  a good grandson," Fuuko whispered to Mikagami.

Mikagami hated himself for it, but he felt himself turn red.

"Don't be shy, Tokiya-san. I don't make a habit of stealing my granddaughter's boyfriends," Eri said.

Mikagami took a deep breath and did what he was asked to do.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, wasn't it?" Eri asked with a teasing grin.

"Oi," Fuuko rolled her eyes. "Let's go, Mi-chan, or we'll get out of here."

"Tell mom we'll be home by tomorrow night," Shoji called out as Fuuko and Mikagami loaded their bags in the car.

"'Bye, Fuu-chan!" Miko called out. "See you really soon!"

Fuuko grinned.

"Hey, Mikagami, take care of Fuuko!" Yuri called.

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she said as she dragged Mikagami in the car. "Let's go now or we'll never leave."

"Where are we?" A sleepy voice muttered.

"Still on the road," Mikagami replied, barely looking at her companion. 

"How long have I been asleep?" Fuuko asked as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Why is it so dark?"

"You've been out for a few hours," he replied. Fuuko had been out like a rock the moment they pulled out of the Kirisawa driveway. 

Fuuko looked outside. "Oh, it's raining." So that's why it was so dark. She yawned and stretched. "Why aren't we moving?" She asked.  
  


"Traffic jam because of the rain," Mikagami replied.

Fuuko checked her watch. "Hey! I woke just in time for lunch," she reached back for the lasagna Aunt Rika gave her. 

"If you don't watch yourself, you'll inflate into Ishijima's proportions." Mikagami told her deadpan.

Fuuko smirked. "Was that a joke, Mi-chan?" She asked. "And if you don't behave yourself, I won't share," she looked out the window. "Oh!" She cried as she shoved the container of lasagna into Mikagami's hands.

"Wha—" Mikagami was surprised when Fuuko suddenly threw open the door and ran outside. "Fuuko!" He called out, wondering what on earth the girl was up to. "Kirisawa! It's raining outside!"

Minutes later, a wet Fuuko slid in the passenger seat.

"Kirisawa, you're getting my upholstery wet," Mikagami meant that to come out as biting, but his edge was lost on the girl.

Fuuko, ignoring him, thrusted out two cones of ice cream under his nose. "Chocolate or strawberry?" She asked.

Mikagami glared at her. "It's cold outside and you're eating ice cream?"

"So you don't want one?" Fuuko grinned. "Good. More for me,"

"Kirisawa, you're shivering," Mikagami turned on the heater as he reached in the back for something to dry her off. He found his bag and took out his towel. He unceremoniously dropped it on the girl's head.

Fuuko shook out her hair, but for most part, ignored Mikagami as she turned her full attention to the two cones she was holding. She licked one, then the other. "Mmm,"

"You'll make yourself sick," Mikagami told her. Unused to being ignored (he was more used to doing the ignoring), Mikagami took one of the cones away from her. 

"Hey!" Fuuko protested. "If you wanted one, you could've just asked."

Mikagami glared at her. He opened his window and dumped the cone outside.

"Mi-chan!" Fuuko yelped.

"One is enough," 

Fuuko made a face. "Now, you really do remind me of my daddy," she took a bite out of her chocolate ice cream.

Mikagami ignored her as the car in front of them moved a little bit then stopped again. Mikagami coaxed his car to follow. He sighed. It looks like they were going to be stuck there for a while. He glanced at the girl beside him. Fuuko do not do well in enclosed spaces. She almost always ends up in trouble.

By now, Fuuko was ignoring him. She started to fiddle with his radio, searching for a station that she liked. 

Mikagami was relieved. At least, she won't be bringing up Britney Spears.

"Hey! An 80s station. Cool." Fuuko grinned like an idiot as her head started bobbing to closing stanzas of _Buttercup_. Soon afterwards, _YMCA_ was cued.

"You have weird taste," Mikagami muttered as he opened the ignored container of lasagna. He was getting hungry.

"It's fun to stay at the," Fuuko sang along, "Y—oops!" As she sang _Y_, her hands automatically formed the letter above her head. Unfortunately, she was still gripping the ice cream. The inner roof of Mikagami's car now had a brownish stain.

"Fuuko," Mikagami growled in warning as he took the remaining ice cream in her hand before she can do anymore damage. He threw it outside.

"Sorry, Mi-chan!" Fuuko grinned sheepishly at him. "I promise to head over your place first thing tomorrow morning to help you clean your car,"

"Help me?" 

"Alright, alright, I'll bring Domon and Recca over, we'll clean it for you."

Mikagami frowned at the mention of the two's name. He had forgotten about the gorilla and the sea monkey. He shuddered inwardly at the grief and the pain that those two would cause when they find out about him and Fuuko. "Ishijima and Hanabishi are not touching my car," he said acidly.

"B-but—" Fuuko protested.

"I'll help you clean if you like, just don't bring them with you tomorrow. Ishijima especially," he spat out with more bitterness that he intended.

"What? Why?" Then, comprehension dawned on her face. "Mi-chan! Don't tell me you're jealous of Domon!" She burst out laughing. "Domon! Good grief! You might as well be jealous of Miko!" She snorted. 

Mikagami shook his head. When she put it that way, it does seem kind of silly…

"A-choo!" Fuuko sniffled. 

Mikagami gave her a look that clearly said 'I told you so.' He then concentrated on the road. The traffic jam was behind them now. However, it was still raining so they weren't able to drive as fast as they wanted to.

Actually, Mikagami wasn't that much in a hurry to get home. He was finally spending time alone with Fuuko, something that they weren't able to do at the beach and something he knew they wouldn't be able to do much when they reach home.

She groaned as she received another SMS message on her handy phone. Actually, it was Shoji's phone, but she had stolen it away from her brother before they left.

"What did he say?" Mikagami asked in amusement.

Fuuko was regretting her decision to swipe her brother's phone. Miko had been sending her messages all throughout the ride. "Now he's asking me whether or not we're planning to check in a hotel,"

Because of the traffic jam that they haven't anticipated, the night has already fallen and they're still a long way from home.

"That doesn't explain why you're blushing."

"A love hotel," Fuuko mumbled her clarification.

The corners of Mikagami's mouth drew up. "Well?"

"Well what?" She asked defensively.

"Do you want to?" He asked innocently.

"Mi-chan!" Fuuko gasped, scandalized.

Mikagami laughed softly. Shoji was right. Fuuko was very much conservative.

"Was that a laugh, Mi-chan?" Fuuko asked, grinning.

Mikagami stopped laughing, but the grin never left his face. "I like your family,"

Fuuko grinned. "I like them, too."

One of Mikagami's hands took hers. He gave it a squeeze. "Thank you."

"For what?" Fuuko asked. 

Mikagami simply smiled at her. 

However, the moment was ruined by the rumbling of Fuuko's stomach.

Fuuko blushed and scratched her head. "Dinner time," she unfastened her seatbelt and squeezed herself in the space between the driver's seat and the passenger's seat as she reached for the basket that contained their food. "What do you feel like having, Mi-chan?"

Mikagami was about to answer her when his keen senses told him something was definitely wrong. "Fuuko!" He screamed as he sharply jerked the wheel of the car to the right, but it was to no avail. The truck on their left had smashed into the passenger's side. 

As if in slow motion, he saw Fuuko being tossed violently backwards like a rag doll, towards the front of the car. He quickly released the wheel to grab Fuuko, but he was jerked back to his seat by the seatbelt. He saw Fuuko's head smashing into the windshield, shattering the glass.

The speed of the truck had propelled their car to move side wards. He heard another metal-crunching sound before the car grinded into a halt. They only stopped because the driver's side of Mikagami's car collided into a lamp post. 

Mikagami hit his head on the side of the car hard.

And the last thing he saw before blacking out was red on purple…

Red and blue flashing alternately. Red and blue.

Voices.

He heard voices. And sirens.

Mikagami groaned as he forced his eyes to open. And when he did, he saw Fuuko's head on the dashboard, scratches on her face, her skin pale, her arm twisted in an unnatural angle, shards of glass everywhere. Blood was on her hair. 

Red on purple…

"Fuuko," he whispered weakly.

"Hey! One of them's awake!" He heard a voice outside shout.

"Fuuko," he whispered again, his hand trying to reach for her before the darkness claimed him once more.

**~tbc**

(*)Um, I kinda mixed reality (or at least, reality in the FoR universe) with fantasy. I've put down that the real reason why Fuuko was the way she was in junior high (all tough and violent) was because of her dad's death (if you don't know what I'm talking about, try to surf the reason why Fuuko wears a headband. I read it somewhere in the web, but for the life of me, I can't remember where).

P.S.

Now you see why I originally put this up as angst? 

Severe angst-ing ahead.

And I think I can wrap this baby up in two or three chapters. =) Oh, yeah, plus an epilogue.


	8. Sorrowful Sunday

Disclaimer:

I don't own Flame of Recca or any of its characters.

A/N:

A few people are not very happy with me as of the moment that's why, schoolwork notwithstanding, I'm rushing this. sigh I have to end the fic somehow you know? It's been very distracting. 

Maybe if I just kill them all…

A shout-out to Ranka who beta'd for me! Sorry for the missent chap. Rest assured that I already finished the next installment, the only problem is I can't remember where I saved it (I collect diskettes, I probably have a million of them). But I'll send it as soon as I find it.

To Kurei, sorry for messing the story-line up. I only watched the anime and surfed the rest. But I did say I was mixing reality with fantasy, right? ^^;;

To all the pinoy readers out there! _Oi! Wala lang. =) _

To   Jamjam-chan, _sa post graduate na ko sa UP. Oo, matanda na ko. Hehehe. _Thanks for the review, my kababayan.

To all my reviewers, thanks for the support even if you're not happy with how I ended the last chap! 

Kindred Chapter 8: Sorrowful Sunday 

White. It was all white. All he could see was white.

And all he could feel was the pain.

Mikagami groaned as his eyes slowly adjusted to the room he was in.

Something brown appeared in his field of vision. A sparkle of gold. Then a flash of black.

Where was he again?

Mikagami swallowed a scream when his eyes finally focused and he realized a gorilla was looking anxiously at him.

No.

It was not a gorilla. 

It was none other than the Raging Domon Ishijima.

But Ishijima was anything but raging today.

Or is it night?

Mikagami felt his brain to be a little fuzzy.

"Mikagami!" Two waterfalls of tears from Domon's eyes materialized. "You're finally awake! We were so worried about you!" He cried.

Mikagami frowned. Ishijima was worried about him? And he was now crying because the iceman was now awake? What is wrong in that picture?

And where was he? This wasn't a room in his house.

He looked down and saw that his torso was bare but heavily bandaged. 

Suddenly, the events came rushing through his head.

"Fuuko," he whispered as he hurriedly pushed the blankets off to search for the girl.

Domon suddenly stopped his bawling as he restrained Mikagami on the bed. "No. The doctors said that you're not to leave the bed." He paused. "And since when did you start calling Fuuko-chan 'Fuuko?' What happened to Kirisawa? Or monkey?" 

"Where is she?" Mikagami demanded when he realized struggling with Domon the Oni when he was in this state was futile. "Is she alright?"

Domon's features softened. "She—" he began. "She hadn't wakened up yet." He said sadly. "Her head was badly injured."

"How long—"

"You've been here for two days now. You've been drifting in and out of consciousness." Domon said.

"Why are you here?" Mikagami glared at him. "Shouldn't you be with your darling Fuuko?" That came out more biting than he intended. He was using his anger to push Domon away and to mask the pain and fear that assaulted him when he heard about Fuuko's condition. We wanted to break down, but not with Domon in the room.

Domon glared at him. "I wanted to, but her whole family's there," he replied with a shrug. "No more space available. Plus, we were worried about you,"

Mikagami contemplated on how he could knock Ishijima unconscious so he could go check on Fuuko.

"Yanagi and Recca are here. They just stepped out for some munchies," Domon explained.

"I don't need you here." Mikagami told him coldly. "Get out."

Domon sat down at one of the stools beside Mikagami's bed. He crossed his arms as if to say, 'make me.'

"Get out," Mikagami's voice turned colder, harder, like he was before this whole trip started.

"No." 

Mikagami glared at him. "Get. Out."

"No." Domon glared back. "And it's not because of you or anything," he told him. "Yanagi-san would get mad if I did. And if Yanagi's mad, Recca would kill me," he frowned. "Not that I'm afraid or anything,"

Mikagami tried to stand up again. If that gorilla won't get out, then he gladly would.

Quicker than Mikagami thought the Oni could move, Domon was beside the injured young man in an instant, struggling to hold the latter down.

"If you don't stop struggling, I would get the nurses to come in here and inject you with something to calm you down."

The two former Hokage ninjas were shocked that they didn't feel that someone had entered the room with them, Mikagami especially.

"Shoji-niisan!" Domon cried out.

A vein popped out on Shoji's face. "Don't call me niisan," he grated out. "You look older than I am,"

"Hai, Shoji-niisan," Domon replied obediently.

Shoji gave Domon a super punch, not unlike Fuuko's. The difference was, while Fuuko's punches brought Domon to the heavens, Shoji's punch brought the Oni to his knees. "I just came to check on the injured iceman." Shoji said. "Sister's orders."

Mikagami settled himself back on the bed, unwilling to meet the gaze of Fuuko elder brother.

Shoji almost lost Fuuko because of him.

And Mikagami knew what it was like to loose a sister.

Flashes of memory seized Mikagami.

Flashes of emotion threatened to overwhelm him.

Guilt.

Sorrow.

Loneliness.

Revenge.

He knew if the situation was reversed, he would not let a cursed man touch his sister.

Fuuko almost lost her life because he needs to be reminded that he wasn't meant to be with someone.

He wasn't meant to be happy.

He wasn't meant to be with her.

He was like King Midas.

Everything he touches turns to gold.

But not without a price.

He was gorgeous. He was rich. He was talented. He was intelligent.

But he was meant to be alone.

Alone.

He almost forgot.

He was meant to be alone.

The accident reminded him of that.

A shy knock prompted Mikagami out of his reverie.

By picking a fight with both Domon and Recca, Yanagi was forced to lead the two out of his hospital room. And Recca was adamant not to leave Yanagi alone with him, never mind that their sempai was bedridden for the moment.

And he was left on his own, according to plan.

Mikagami glared at the book he was staring at for the past few minutes.

"Mi-chan?" A sweet, tentative voice asked.

Mikagami's heart leapt to his throat. Could it be?

The door opened. Mikagami saw the girl standing in the doorway.

He wasn't who he hoped she was, still he felt the gentle stirring of joy to see her there.

"Mi-chan," Aya walked into the room. She held out a card for him. She smiled shyly. "For you,"

A sob got caught on Mikagami's throat with that simple gesture. He took the card without a word.

Aya grinned at him then boldly climbed up his bed. It was a bit high for her and she had to struggle.

And against Mikagami's better judgment, he picked up the child by the waist and deposited her beside him.

He was surprised when Aya suddenly threw her arms around Mikagami. "Hope you get better soon,"

Gently, Mikagami pried Aya's arms away from him. He knew what he had to do. And he better do it quickly before the puppy-dog eyes undo him completely.

"I have something to tell you, Aya-chan," he told her softly.

Aya scooted backwards, head tilting up to meet his eyes, eager to hear what her _boyfriend_ has to say.

"This may be the hardest thing I ever had to do in my entire life," he was talking to little Aya. But in his mind's eye, he saw a happy-go-lucky, loud, tomboyish, abrasive, purple-haired _monkey_. "B-but, I have to end this."

Aya frowned. She didn't understand. "End what?"

Mikagami looked at Aya, but it was Fuuko he saw. "I c-can't be with you," he told her simply. 

Aya's eyes teared up. "You're breaking up with me, Mi-chan?"

Mikagami didn't reply, at least, not right away. "I'm sorry." Then, all the emotions left his face.

Once again, Mikagami overcome his struggle with his feelings. He had them once again locked up, away from everyone's concerned eyes.

He was once again, the iceman.

A perfect being without feelings.

A man immune to pain.

And pleasure.

And love.

"Don't you love me anymore, Mi-chan?" Aya's tears were now evident on her face.

But Mikagami was immune. An ice sculpture feels no pain.

No pain.

"No." The answer was short. Cold. Painful.

With a sob, Aya scrambled down the bed. 

Mikagami fully expected her to run away, back to where they were keeping Fuuko.

To his surprise, Aya reached into her back pocket where she pulled out a sheet of folded paper. She handed it to Mikagami.

Mikagami took it. It was the card. Their card. The proof that he indeed was Aya's boyfriend.

Wordlessly, he tore the card in half.

That's when he saw the sobs that violently shook Aya's shoulders before she turned around and run.

But he didn't see Aya.

All he saw was a teenager with the purple hair and eyes to match.

"Burning your bridges, Tokiya-niisan?"

Mikagami bit back a groan. He was lying on his back on the hospital bed, in pain. The effects of his painkillers were wearing off. He struggled to get up in spite of them, unwilling to let the man invading his room.

It was Kaoru. Behind him was Ganko.

Mikagami didn't respond. 

"You're mean," Ganko stuck out a tongue at him. She no doubt had heard what he did with Aya.

Kaoru scratched his head. "And why don't you want Yanagi-neechan in here?" A thoughtful frown crossed his face. Usually, he was good in reading people. His training with his Kurei-niisan notwithstanding, he thinks people were like puzzles. Once you figure out how the pieces fit together, you could see the big picture. And once you saw the big picture, it was easy enough to understand that person.

Kaoru thought that he figured out his Tokiya-niisan a long time ago. It wasn't easy, but he thought that he finally understood the older man, especially after the two of them fought. But sometimes, the pieces of his puzzle don't fit. Like this one. Kaoru thought that he would jump at the chance to spend time with Yanagi-neechan. Or like the fact that he had fallen in love with Fuuko-nee.

Kaoru's face broke into a grin.

So that was it. That's why Tokiya-niisan was so hard to figure out.

He had fallen in love.

And people in love, they weren't all that rational.

In fact, they were sometimes downright silly.

And Tokiya-niisan, so used to being in control all the time, being used to using his superior intellect, he was the silliest one of all.

Why? Why? Why?

He might fool others with his cool façade, but he cannot fool himself. 

The pull to see Fuuko was becoming stronger each day.

He was longing for her.

He wants to know how she's doing so bad.

He wants to see for himself that she was well.

Ganko and Kaoru had reported a few days ago that Fuuko had awakened and was asking for him.

You're going home tomorrow. It's your last chance to see her if you're really up to fading away from her life.

But he didn't want to see her. No. That wasn't it. He didn't want her to see him.

_Why are you torturing yourself like this?_ A voice inside him demanded.

He frowned. He was not torturing himself. He was saving himself from the inevitable pain that would surely rack him if he let Fuuko get closer to him than she already was and once he looses her. And to loose her, he certainly will.

He was meant to be alone.

_You mean like the pain you're feeling now?_

Shut up.

_Who are you really trying to save, Mikagami? Her? Or yourself?_

Shut up.

_Come on, Mikagami. Visit her. I know you want to. I should know. I am you._

Shut up!

_I'll shut up if and only if I see that she's OK._

Mikagami sighed. Arguing with himself is not a great idea. Not especially since he was an exceptional debater.

The voices in his head were louder and bossier than he originally thought.

So that's why he was in his hospital gown, crouched in the corner, in the middle of the night. 

He caught Fuuko's room number from Domon when he was talking with Recca when they thought he was asleep.

Four two six.

He eyed the door warily. 

She was probably asleep.

He went to the door and listened, not just with his ears but with his other senses as well.

It was silent inside.

She was asleep.

Good.

Silently, he opened the door and went in.

Imagine his shock when he saw that the bed, though disarranged, was empty.

Before he had time to think of the implications of an empty bed, he heard noises outside the door.

Thinking quickly, he his himself inside the bathroom, careful to keep the door open to see the newcomers.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Fuuko entering the door.

But she wasn't alone. 

She was with two children around Aya's age. A girl and a boy. All three were wearing hospital gowns. All three were giggling terribly.

"Do you think she noticed us?" The young girl asked.

Fuuko shook her head. "We were all quiet. She won't even see it coming."

They burst into fits of giggles again.

Then, they pressed their ears on the door.

Mikagami watched them in amusement. 

Wasn't it just like Fuuko to draw kids towards her with her mischief and humor.

Moments later, the silence in the hospital was broken by a loud screech.

This time, the trio couldn't hold their laughter.

"Kirisawa! Kamiya! Takaishi!" A loud, deep female voice hollered.

"Uh-oh!" The girl groaned with wide eyes as the trio backed away from the door.

"We're in trouble now!" The boy added. "Do you think we should lock it?"

Before they could move a muscle to do anything, the door burst open, revealing an angry head nurse holding a large, black, rubber rat.

"Um, surprise?" Fuuko asked with a grin and that caused the two children to laugh again.

"That wasn't even funny." The large head nurse glared at them. "I thought you knew better, Kirisawa." She then turned to the two kids. "The two of you, in your rooms, now!" She commanded. 

The two childred grinned at Fuuko before scampering away.

Mikagami expected the head nurse to blow up at Fuuko. He was ready to pounce and save Fuuko from a sermon.

But instead, the head nurse dropped her angry demeanor and looked at Fuuko gratefully. "Thank you for making them laugh," she told the younger girl.

Fuuko nodded in understanding, the humor fading from her eyes.

"They almost forgot how to do that since they were confined here." The nurse said with a faraway look in her eyes. "Thank you for reminding them,"

"It was for my sake as much as them," Fuuko replied easily. "I'd go insane in here," she gestured weakly at her room. "Especially since—" her voice trailed off.

The nurse nodded. She handed the former wind-wielder the rubber rat. "Where do you get this things?" She asked in wonder.

"My cousin," she replied.

"Alright, time to sleep. You're an invalid too, you know."

"Aye, aye, ma'am!" Fuuko saluted and clicked her heels as she scrambled to her bed.

The head nurse switched off the lights before she left the room.

Mikagami waited a few minutes to make sure that Fuuko was asleep before he left his hiding place.

Then, just as he was about to close the door, he thought he heard a faint, 'good night, Mi-chan,' whisper in his ear.

The following day, Mikagami learned that Kamiya and Takaishi were two kids on the same floor with Fuuko, afflicted with cancer.

His love for her swelled.

But he would rather die than acknowledge that.

**~tbc**

P.S.

So it's not as angsty as I originally thought. Maybe I'm just too happy lately. There was a time when I could simply sit down and write good old-fashioned angst without so much as trying. Now? Well. Argh!


	9. One Fine Day

Disclaimer:

I don't own Flame of Recca or any of its characters.

A/N:

Hey, sorry if I took too long in uploading last chapter. I got way too wrapped in reading Xmen fics with Rogue and Gambit. Those two are the coolest! Anyways, here's my next installement. Hope you enjoy it!

To Takari Reader Only, I am flattered. And I hope you didn't miss the Digimon reference in the last chapter. Kamiya and Takaishi. How original is that? =) I'm a fierce supporter of Takari too. I love Takeru to death.

Dark Phoenix, rest assured that what I wrote was exactly how I wanted it to be. I just had to update sooner than I originally planned because I don't want people to think that I killed Fuuko. I'd kill Recca and Yanagi first. Oops. You didn't see that, right? (OK, so I dislike them a bit…alright…a lot. I wish they'd just called the show winds of fuuko or ice of tokiya or something. My cousing thinks I'm crazy because I refuse to watch any scenes of FoR without Fuuko or Tokiya in them…but I digress…) And I'm happy lately, maybe that's why I can't write good angst to save my life. Alright, I'll stop babbling now…

And to Lady Penguin, your review really made my day. Thank you. 

Kindred 

**Chapter 09: One Fine Day**

Mikagami's shoes crushing the dry grass was the only sound to be heard.

Today was Mifuyu's death anniversary. And as usual, he brought her flowers.

He grinned at the irony of it all. Years ago today, his Mifuyu-neechan was killed. 

And today was also the day of Fuuko's release from the hospital.

He felt that his pain increase ten-fold when he finally saw the one thing he was looking for.

_His sister's grave._

But when he got closer, he saw that Mifuyu's grave was already decorated with all sorts and all colors of flowers.

He frowned as his lips thinned. He wondered where on earth those flowers came from. He doesn't have relatives left. Mifuyu's friends and workmates have long stopped visiting her grave.

He figured someone just mistaken his sister's grave for someone else's.

He knew he ought to move the flowers away. 

He knew that those flowers didn't belong to him.

But he also knew that Mifuyu loved flowers. 

He didn't have the heart to move it.

So he laid his bouquet with the rest.

It was a rare thing for the doorbell to ring, at least in the Mikagami residence.

So Mikagami was surprised, and to a certain extent curious, as to who was ringing the doorbell on his day of mourning.

Mikagami opened the door, and to his immense surprise, saw the Kirisawa matriarch on the other side. "Kirisawa-san," he bowed politely before stepping aside to let the distinguished lady in.

"I told you I would have none of those formalities, Tokiya-san," she told him, walking inside and inspecting his huge house in wonder. " How could you afford to maintain a place like this?"

Ah. Ever frank. "My father was a firm believer in insurance policies and trust funds," Mikagami replied. "I could live comfortably until my retirement even if I do not lift a finger,"

To his surprise, Eri actually beamed at him. "And yet you chose to study well to become a lawyer." She nodded. 

"I do not wish to squander my family's money away."

"And you wish to prove to yourself that you're not just another pretty face." Eri's eyes seemed to bore a hole in him. "Fuuko's lucky to have a man like you,"

A flash of pain crossed the young man's face. 

Eri raised an eyebrow. "You do not wish to be with her anymore?"

Ah. Mikagami knew that this visit from Eri was anything but a social call.

"I'm like a plague," Mikagami replied bitterly. "Everything I touch ends up getting hurt." 

"Ah, yes. Your father, your mother, your sister,"

A revelation hit Mikagami. The flowers on his sister's grave were not delivered there by mistake. They were from the Kirisawas.

"And now Fuuko," Eri concluded.

"I believe it is my destiny to be alone, Kirisawa-san," 

"I don't believe in destiny, young man. And neither does Fuuko,"

Mikagami almost laughed. Take that, Raiha.

Mikagami paced to the window. He looked out, almost afraid to see how Fuuko's nana would react. "I almost took Fuuko away from you,"

"It was an accident," she replied as she took a seat on the couch. "Nobody wanted for it to happen. And if you want to point fingers, you could blame the rain, the slippery road, or even the other driver not checking his vehicle before going on the road. We never blamed you, Tokiya-san. Neither does Fuuko."

Mikagami whirled around. "I should have protected her."

This time, Eri laughed, a loud and vibrant sound. "Fuu-chan would kick your butt if she heard that one," she shook her head. "She can take care of herself. She doesn't need your protection. She needs your friendship, your love." She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "And you need hers too. Think about it, Tokiya-san."

With that, the matriarch walked out of the house.

For the second time that day, the doorbell summoned its owner.

"Hey, Mi-chan," 

Mikagami opened the door wider. "What are you doing here?"

Miko grinned at him. "I promised Fuu-chan I'll visit you today to see how are you doing." He walked in and whistled when he saw how big Mikagami's house was. "Any special messages for her?"

"Tell her to forget about me,"

Miko frowned. "Why? I thought you had a thing going,"

"I almost killed her," Mikagami said flatly.

"Er, right." Miko scratched his head. "You're too intense, man. Relax. These type of things happen."

_And they happen to me and to the ones I love._ Mikagami offered a seat to Miko.

Miko sat on the sofa, stretching both of his arms sideward on the sofa's back. "Do you have a beer?"

Mikagami returned to Miko with a bottle of imported beer. He tossed it to the purple-haired playboy.

"Thanks," Miko took a gulp of his drink. "Aren't you going to join me?"

Mikagami shook his head.

"Alright then," Miko smiled at him. "Let's cut to the chase. Do you know that Fuu-chan thinks you're dead?"

"What?" 

Miko enjoyed shocking the iceman, something he knew that didn't happen very often.

"Why would she think that?"

"She watches too many soap operas," Miko replied as if that explained everything.

Mikagami gave him a confused glare.

Miko sighed at Mikagami's frown. "You know, where the lovers go on a ride and have an accident and then the hero dies. When the heroine wakes up in the hospital, they tell her that the hero is just recuperating in the other room because the shock of telling her that her love is dead would be too much,"

Mikagami looked away.

"Plus, she said that she felt you in here room one night," Miko grinned at him. "She said that it was your spirit that came to say good bye,"

Mikagami remembered that night all too well.

"Fuu-chan thought that the reason you're not visiting her is because you're dead." Miko's eyes burned with intensity. "That, or you're mad at her,"

"I'm not mad at her," Mikagami corrected him.

"Then you tell her that,"

Mikagami shook his head.

Miko suddenly stood up. He placed his empty beer on the table. "I didn't know you were such a coward." He towards the door. He turned to Mikagami one last time. "By the way, thanks for the drink." With that, he slammed the door shut.

"Attorney Kirisawa," Mikagami greeted. He was no longer surprised when the doorbell summoned him again. In fact, he was expecting it. He had resigned himself to the fact that everyone of Fuuko's family would visit him sooner or later.

"Mikagami-san," Fuuko's mom smiled at him.

Mikagami motioned for the elder Kirisawa to make herself at home.

"So, when will you visit Fuu-chan?" She asked, straight to the point. "She's making herself sick imaging all sorts of things about you."

Mikagami didn't reply.

"She refuses to believe us when we say that you're alright,"

"I'm sorry."

"Then make it up to me by showing up in our house to put her mind at ease." 

Mikagami didn't reply.

"Mikagami-san?"

"Forgive me, Attorney Kirisawa, but I believe that my staying away is for the best interests of your daughter."

"I see," Fuuko's mom had stood up and gazed outside of the window. "And why is that?"

"Because I would only bring her pain,"

"Like you're doing right now?"

Mikagami shut his eyes. Fuuko was in pain. Because of him. But he would much rather pain her than loose her through death.

He would rather feel the pain that was constricting his heart since he woke up in the hospital than go through the pain of loosing her.

He loves her. He admits that now.

But he was not to love.

The ones he loves always end up dead.

He would rather love Fuuko from afar than love her from under a grave.

She'll get over him.

But he knew he'll never get over her…

Mikagami's visit from Shoji was short and anything but sweet, and nothing like the previous visits Mikgami received so far.

He didn't even have time to see who was at the door when a fist suddenly landed on his jaw.

"That was for making my sister cry," Shoji's eyes were ablaze with anger. 

Shoji threw another punch. Mikagami didn't even try to defend himself.

"That was for not visiting her at the hospital." Another punch. "That was for not being there when she went home." Punch. "And that one's for not visiting her at home." Shoji's final punch brought Mikagami on his butt. "And don't forget what you did to Aya-chan!" With that, Shoji walked away. "And rest assured that if you don't call her or go to her within the next two days, you'll receive another one of those!"

Mikagami was sprawled on the floor, rubbing his jaw.

Shoji had not punched him for putting Fuuko's life in danger. Shoji punched him because he refused to visit Fuuko.

A slow grin spread across his face.

Mikagami spent ten minutes sitting on his car, debating whether or not to go in.

He spent five minutes trying to get up the courage to ring the doorbell.

It took fifteen minutes to converse with the Kirisawas who were still hanging around, making sure that Fuuko recovers well.

And now, seven minutes had passed while he was staring at Fuuko's door. 

Another minute passed before as he knocked on Fuuko's door.

"Come in."

Mikagami squared his shoulders as he opened the door.

"Do you know that my ceiling is painted white and has three cracks on it?" Fuuko asked. She was on the bed, tucked in nice and tight. She was looking intensely at her ceiling. It was obvious that she was bored out of her skull. She turned her head sideways. Her eyes widened in surprise at her visitor. "Hi," she greeted, giving him a smile that made his knees go weak. She sat up. "Come on in,"

"Hey. How're you doing?"

"OK. I'm bored, but OK." She frowned when she noticed something different with him. "Is that a fist mark on your face?"

With that, Mikagami closed the door and walked into his destiny.

Later, Eri had asked which one of them made Mikagami change his mind.

Mikagami would answer that it was Shoji's visit that finally made him realize that the only person blaming Mikagami for what had happened was himself.

Even the driver of the truck that slammed into them knew that the fault wasn't with Fuuko's companion.

Eri had snorted and had commented that wasn't it just like a guy to make a point with his fist.

**~to be concluded**


	10. Freaky Future

Disclaimer:

I don't own Flame of Recca or any of its characters.

_A/N at the end, in case ya'll are interested…._

Kindred 

**Chapter 10: Freaky Future **(Epilogue)

"Stay there," Mikagami warned Fuuko as he cut the engine of his car. He went out and crossed over to the passenger seat where he opened his door for her and helped her out.

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "I can walk, you know," she snapped at him. She was getting sick of him treating her like a hot flower all the time.

"It's better to be sure," he said as he led her towards the familiar beach house. 

"How about our stuff?" Fuuko protested as she tried to free herself out of Mikagami's grasp.

"I'll come back for it later," he refused to relinquish his hold.

"Fuu-chan!" They heard a familiar voice shout out.

"Miko!" Fuuko laughed as she finally shook free of Mikagami.

Miko ran the rest of the way to her and gave her a hug. "You're one of the last ones to arrive," he said. "Aunt Raye, Ganko, and Kaoru are already inside," he said. "Hey, Mikagami, I'll take Fuuko in the house. You take the luggage."

Mikagami gave a grateful wave.

"Why do you guys insist on helping me in everything?" Fuuko grumbled.

"Hey, doctor's orders. You're not even supposed to be out of bed, you know," Miko playfully pushed her nose.

"Watch it," she growled. She hesitated before taking a step. "What about my welcoming committee?"

Miko grinned at her. "I talked them into giving Cousin Fuu-chan a break. I can guarantee that there won't be a doggy-pile on the bandit this time,"

Fuuko looked distrustfully at him before walking forward.

Miko laughed as he carefully maneuvered his cousin up the steps. "Hey, everyone, look at what the cat dragged in,"

Laughter greeted Fuuko once she entered the house and she immediately forgot her complaints. It was nice to be surrounded by family again.

"Hey," Mikagami greeted as he dropped a kiss on Fuuko's cheek. "What's with the evil glint in your eyes?"

Fuuko smirked. "Pay back time," she whispered as Miko walked into the kitchen. "Miko, how about you make me a cup of hot chocolate."

Miko grinned. "Anything for my favorite cousin," he said.

Something told Mikagami that whatever Fuuko was planning, he didn't want to get caught in the middle of it. "I'll be in the living room, then," he said as he stood up and walked away.

Once in the living room, he was saw Yuri and Shoji watching TV while drinking beer. He decided to join the two.

Minutes later, Miko burst out of the kitchen looking pale and shaken. "Fuuko!" He gasped out. And then he mumbled something about water that the three men ignored on their hurry to get to Fuuko.

Mikagami was the first one in the kitchen. To his surprise, he saw Fuuko laughing her heart out. He frowned. "What's going on here?"

Fuuko looked up. She saw Miko clutching the kitchen door. "Gotcha," she told her cousin.

Miko slowly grinned. "I get it." He shook his head. "That wasn't a nice trick," he told her. "I almost had a heart attack,"

"You scared me," Mikagami gently admonished the purple-haired woman beside him.

But the laughter was already gone from her eyes.

"Fuuko?" Mikagami asked uncertainly.

Fuuko winced in pain. "Um, I think I need to go to the hospital," she said weakly.

"Fuu-chan, I just told you that isn't a nice joke," Miko told him with a frown.

"Who says I'm joking?" She asked, her skin as pale as a sheet.

"But you're early," Miko answered quickly.

"Are you trying to instigate a debate?" Fuuko screamed at him as a pain in her abdomen hit her. She rubbed her aching belly. 

Mikagami sprang into action. "Yuri, call the hospital! Miko, call the ladies!"

"Mi-chan!" Fuuko yelped, unconsciously calling her husband with the old nickname she gave him as she grabbed his hand and squeezed like her life depended on it.

"It's OK, love," he soothed his very pregnant wife. "I'm here," he scooped her up in his arms.

Shoji grabbed the first set of keys he could find. "I'll drive,"

"I hate you!" Fuuko screamed out.

Mikagami almost winced as Fuuko gave his hand another tight squeeze.

"Fight back the urge to push until I tell you to," the doctor warned Fuuko with a frown.

"This is all your fault," panting, Fuuko growled at her husband.

Mikagami gave a pleading look at the doctor, one of his first. They had already spent hours in the delivery room and he had done things that he'd never done in his whole life.

Like panicking. He knew that had Fuuko let go of his hand, he would have resorted to pacing the whole room in nervous anticipation.

And his hair was down. But it's not in its usual sleek and styled self. It was in disarray due to anxious sweat and to running his hand through it too many times.

"Breathe," he instructed his wife as he ran his free hand through his hair again, a nervous gesture.

"You are soo not helping," Fuuko glared at him as if to say that he deliver the baby if he knows so much about it. "I need to push," Fuuko pleaded to the doctor.

"Not yet,"

"I've been here for hours!" She cried. "I want it out, now!"

"Love," Mikagami tried to pacify her.

Her reply was to grip his hand harder. 

Mikagami was sure that his hand was turning blue due to oxygen deprivation.

"Now!" The doctor finally gave her the go signal.

Fuuko threw her head back and pushed with all her might.

Shoji paced anxiously back and forth outside the delivery room. He remembered that the last time he was doing that was when his wife was delivering his second son. He sighed. 

And now, his little imoutosan was going to be a mother.

"Shoji!" 

He looked up to see his mother running down the corridor with Ganko, Kaoru, Miko, and nana.

"Did they find out if the baby's a boy or a girl yet?" An adolescent Ganko asked.

Shoji shook his head. Fuuko and Tokiya had opted not to know the gender of their child. "What took you?"

Miko scratched his head. "The whole family was in the cave. I had to look for a boat before I can find them,"

"And the rest of the family?"

Raye shook her head. "The boat Miko took can only accommodate seven passengers. The boat that's supposed to take us back won't return to the cave until much later,"

"Is Tokiya-niisan inside?" A teenaged Kaoru asked.

Shoji nodded. He had to admit, Tokiya had been taking good care of his sister. The two had gotten married right after Fuuko got her degree in meteorology while Tokiya was only an incoming sophomore law student. But Fuuko couldn't complain of being neglected. Tokiya divided his time equally between his studies, his work, and his wife. And the baby couldn't have come at a better time. Tokiya had just passed the bar exam and had been hired by a big-shot firm in Tokyo.

Then, they all froze when they heard Fuuko scream.

"I can see the head," Mikagami said seconds later as he saw something purple.

"Now, time for one final push," the doctor instructed.

Fuuko screamed as she gave her one last big push.

Mikagami's knees felt weak when a loud cry invaded the room. His baby was crying, trying to fill up tiny lungs with air.

"It's a girl. Congratulations," the doctor said as he gently laid down the baby on Fuuko.

"My baby," she cried softly. "Our baby,"

Mikagami smiled as he reached over to gently stroke his newborn. He was surprised as he found himself shedding tears.

"We now have the first Mikagami to be born in the family," Shoji commented when the guys were looking at the newborn in the nursery.

"What are you going to name her?" Miko asked a slightly dazed Mikagami.

Mikagami gazed lovingly at his baby girl.

"Mifuyu," Mikagami whispered. "Mifuyu Mikagami."

"Hey, sweetie," Tokiya walked inside his daughter's ridiculously pink room.

Mifuyu, buried under the blanket and her pile of toys on the bed, squirmed, indicating to Tokiya where his child was.

"Sweetie, it's time to take a bath," he said as he sat down on the bed and started to dig up his five-year old. Mifuyu's head popped out. "Or we'll be late for Yuu-chan's birthday party."

"No!" Obstinately, little Mifuyu crossed her arms. "Boys are gross," she scowled.

Tokiya grinned. He was once again struck about how much her little girl resembles his Mifuyu-neechan (or as Fuuko insisted, little Mifuyu resembled Yanagi) the only difference was Mifuyu had Fuuko's hair coloring and Tokiya's ice blue eyes. And that Yanagi had grown considerably bigger since she gave birth to her second child. But deep inside, she was a little Fuuko. "But I'm a boy," he argued.

Mifuyu shook her head. "You're a man! It's Unca Recca's who's a boy," she argued back. "You said so yourself,"

Tokiya instantly regretted the near-photographic memory that he passed on to his daughter.

"Hey, love," Fuuko walked in the room. "Is Mifu-chan ready yet?"

"Not yet," he replied. "She doesn't want to go to the Hanabishis. She says boys are gross."

"Sounds like someone I used to know," Fuuko teased as she sat beside her husband. "Come on, Mifu-chan, time to take a bath."

"No!"

"Why not?" Tokiya asked gently.

"Because Yuu-chan's got a little brother," Mifuyu said. "I want one, too."

Fuuko glared at her husband. It was his fault for spoiling his daughter. Recca had a son a year older than Mifuyu. The two were playmates and somewhat rivals (sounds familiar, doesn't it? Tokiya had asked her once). Every time little Yuu-chan got a toy, it was imperative that Mifuyu got one also. And now, Yanagi had given birth to another boy. It seemed that Yuu-chan was very proud of his new brother, so much so that he began bragging to Mifuyu about him. And now, Mifuyu wanted one too.

"That can be arranged, right?" Tokiya whispered seductively to his wife.

Fuuko elbowed him rather roughly.

Tokiya coughed. "Honey, you sure you want one of those?"

Mifuyu nodded firmly. "I want to take care of him and feed him and bathe him and sing to him and…"

Fuuko laughed. "I get it, darling." She soothed her daughter. "I think one's on the way now. But you would have to wait for a few months."

"Really?" Mifuyu shot up from her bed to hug her mom. She then pulled away. "Is it also in there?" Her eyes wide open, she pointed at Fuuko's slim stomach.

Fuuko nodded as she smiled warmly.

"Wow," her eyes as big as saucers, she started to rub her mother's belly. "How did it get in there?" She asked.

Fuuko reddened. "Er, I'll tell you later. Right now, you have to take a bath to tell Yuu-chan that you're going to get a little sibling too."

Mifuyu nodded as she rushed out of her room, pausing only to grab her towel from a rack.

Fuuko stood up from the bed, poised to follow her daughter.

"And where do you think you're going?" The voice was cold, domineering, commanding. Yet, the sparkle in the speaker's ice-blue eyes reflected the happiness he felt from within. 

"To take a shower." Fuuko replied. "We better get going too, you know. Recca expects us to help in the preparations."

"That sea-monkey can wait," he growled as he pulled his wife towards him. He sat her down on his lap and started placing butterfly kisses everywhere his lips could touch. "Is it true?" He asked huskily.

Fuuko turned to look at her husband. She sighed in content as she leaned back on her husband's strong chest. "Is what true?"

Tokiya's hand traveled from Fuuko's arm to her stomach. "We're going to have another baby?"

A smile grazed Fuuko's face. "Yes," she replied simply.

"Are you sure?" He asked tentatively.

"I was suspecting for some time now, but I went to a clinic yesterday." Fuuko told him with a smile. 

Tokiya started rubbing Fuuko's stomach. "Another baby," he muttered, dazed. 

Fuuko nodded as she laced her hand with her husband's.

"I love you," Tokiya told her as he continued with his kisses. 

"I love you too,"

"Thank you for making me so happy," he muttered in between kisses.

"Hey, I couldn't have done it without you, you know," Fuuko grinned at him

"Fuu-chan, about that shower," he suggested slyly.

"Oh, and by the way," she whispered to her husband's ears. "Next time Mifuyu asked how the baby got in  my belly, you can have the honor of explaining it to her, OK?" 

Tokiya grinned. "Can you remind me then of how it's done?" He swept Fuuko up and stood.

Fuuko laughed as her husband draped her carefully on his shoulder. 

Then Tokiya proceeded to the shower where he showed his wife just how much he loves her.

**~and they lived happily ever after. The end.**

P.S.

OK, that's about as graphic as I can get laughs

I haven't given birth yet, so what I wrote are ripped off from books I've read or shows I've watched. =) Please forgive the mistakes.

And if Mikagami's more OOC than usual, it's OK. A few years had passed since last chapter so, the attitude change is explainable. Besides, he's happy now.

A/N:

This is it! I'm done! Woo-hoo!

First of all, I would really like to thank **Ranka**. You rock! Thank you for being with me every step of the way. Thanks for beta-reading! Hope I didn't bother you too much. And if someday I could somehow return the favor, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks again. Thanks for the ultra-mega nice reviews too. And the suggestions. It jump started my brain more times than you'd ever imagine. =)

I really had a great ride with ya'll. Thank you. And I originally planned to answer each and every reviewer this time, but guess what? My professors decided to torture us students a little more and poured in the homework. So sorry, guys, so as per usual, I'm going to answer only those reviews that has a question for me to answer. Alrighty then?

And can I just say it was such a shock to find a lot of Pinoy fans of Flame of Recca. Half the people I know doesn't even like it, let alone know about it. An author that I really admire here in ff.net, bishounen lovah, had told me once that there are a lot of Pinoys hooked in FoR. That fact never sunk in until I started receiving reviews in Filipino. To my Pinoy readers…**anime-luverjc **(btw, thanks for pointing out that this is NOT an angsty fic and yes, you can have Shoji. Brothers like that are pains in the behind. I should now, I'm 'blessed' with three), **?????? **(how mysterious thy name!), **^naVs^**, **denise** (who is incidentally the first reviewer of this fic! Yey!). If I missed anymore Pinoys out there, sorry guys!  
  


To those who reviewed saying that they're interested in reading about how Fuuko felt about these stuff, like **Mei-chan** (it's OK about the signed reviews and stuff!) and **smurtle** (who wanted Mi-chan to remember Raiha), sorry guys, this is all about Mi-chan. =)

Thanks to those who helped me plow through the fic by explaining Japanese and FoR stuff to me: **Dark Phoenix** (why do I get this feeling that  you LOOOVE angsty stories? Or maybe it's just me…), **Kurei** (just goes to show you how much I really know about FoR =p not my fault they don't sell the latest mangas here), and **Kitsushito Sage**.

**Lady Penguin**, yeah, now that you mentioned it, the Kirisawas are kinda perfect…but I swear, your reviews are just like a quick fix for me. It's like an upper. And speaking of fixes and uppers, thanks to **cattleya** who swear that both of her (or is it them) are addicted to my story. Hehehe.

To those who found Mikagami OOC, **akira**, **spiritblade**, and **mateo**, I swear guys, I tried my best, but I'm a naturally bubbly and babbling person so writing someone who isn't is really hard for me…

I also like to apologize to those people I confused with the number of OCs I have in my story, like **xabie**, I'd like you to know that you're now alone. I tend to confuse myself too. And to **Haruko**, I hope I updated fast enough for you.

And I'll admit something to **Claire de Lune**, remember that lizard tidbit, my brother actually did that because of me. I told him that eating lizards cure asthma. Turned out, it's nothing but bull, but of course, when we found out, he already ate the lizard.

I hope this chap contains enough mush to keep **Jamjam-chan** happy! =) And lookie, **pratz**, mi-chan isn't a pain in the neck anymore! He's thawed! And did you just say that you love me? Aw, shucks blushes and uncomfortably shuffles feet

And **someone** didn't like it when the two protagonist got into an accident, I even had an **anonymous** threat that they'd better be alive, **dragon_of_darkness@hotmail.com** pleaded that I not kill Fuuko, and **Misaki Asuka** even cried, I hope ya'll are happy with how I ended this chap! Plus **nobody**'s asked me what is it with cliffhangers and authors. My answer: well, personally, I just ran out of stuff to say! Yeah! That's it!

And to those who reviewed my fic only once, **Yi Mei-chan** (are you by any chance the same as **Mei-chan**?), **Frostmourne**,** Kenren19**, **ayumi**, **evil panda**,** meia**,** fire arrow** (btw, I'm still waiting for your fic update),** jeslene**,** Takari Reader Only** (did you read my msg to you last chap?), **ToFu lovah**, **Mizumi Saeko**,and **kaji-chan**,I hope that leaving only one review doesn't mean that I scared you off my fic!

And to **Lilian**, my fellow Yanagi-hater, thanks for confirming that I'm not going insane in not liking the main heroine in the story! To **mikoe-zuya**, I originally planned for Mi-chan to dance the night away, but I scrapped that out last  minute because he would then be too OOC. And to **Lafine** who found a horny Tokiya hilarious, darling, that makes two of us! 

**Kaze Yurei**, don't think I forgot about your flash fiction thingy. You now have my permission to do it, whatever it is, if you're still interested, as long as you send me a copy or something.

And I'm very honored that **G-Cleft** had left me a review. I almost fell out of my chair when I read it. God, I love your fic, G-Cleft! When are you going to do a new one? 

And to **lime** who was with me every step of the way… thanks for reviewing all the chapters. And you flatter me with the title and the alliteration thing. Actually, I wrote it that way because I really suck at thinking of titles. So I figured that maybe, if a have a theme…

Wait a minute…I think I just enlisted all people who reviewed LOL anyway, sorry if I missed anyone, but there's a certain day when ff.net messed up and lost some of the reviews so, it's not my fault! Blame them, not me!

Thank you people. Thanks for the ride.


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